Four California residents may be the first to be prosecuted under Utah’s “ag-gag” law for allegedly   taking photos of Circle Four Farms near Milford, Utah and owned by Murphy-Brown LLC. – a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods Inc.

T. Matthew Phillips, attorney for the four defendants, Robert Penney, Sarah Jane Hardt, Harold Weiss and Bryan Monell, told local media that the suspects were attempting to document the journey of hogs from farm in Utah to the slaughterhouse in Los Angeles.  He stated his clients never stepped on the farm’s property.

In September, Iron County Justice court charged each with one count of class B misdemeanor criminal trespassing on agricultural land and agricultural interference.  The group is scheduled for a first appearance in the justice court on Jan 8, 2015.