A North Carolina farm worker is facing felony animal cruelty charges after being accused of "maliciously" killing four chickens.
The charges stem from a report filed by Los Angeles-based Mercy for Animals on Tuesday, prompting an investigation to begin. The group allegedly caught Deese Farms employee Danny Cajija Miranda on video stomping a few chickens on the head and another being thrown against a wall, according to the Associated Press.
Specifically, arrest warrants detailed the deaths of four chickens, two of which were killed when Miranda grounded his heel on their heads, one of which had been whipped around by its neck first. A third chicken which was killed when he hit it on the head with a hammer, while the last one was killed by throwing it against a wall.
All of these chickens are the property of Perdue Farms and are raised by Deese Farms to be later used a produce.
"I'm in the dark right now," owner Tommy Deese said, according to The Washington Post. "I don't know what's going on."
Perdue expressed disappointment in the development, calling the handling of the animals "inappropriate."
"Unfortunately, the actions shown on the video go beyond the farm worker and includes inappropriate handling by contract catching crews and birds with leg and other health problems that should have been humanely euthanized much earlier," Perdue spokeswoman Julie DeYoung told the Daily Journal in an email. "Mistreatment or abuse of animals is never tolerated. Our independent contract growers share equal responsibility to provide care according to our best practices and standards."
DeYoung added that Perdue has suspended its contract with Deese Farms as it continues its investigation.
In the meantime, Miranda is being held on a $10,000 bond. It's unclear if he has an attorney to contact for comment on the case.
