By MEGGIE. I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor

MARYSVILLE, Ohio — In late May, Conklin Dairy Sales, of Plain City, Ohio became the target of serious allegations after a radical animal activist group known as Mercy for Animals released a graphic video detailing horrific acts of abuse against dairy animals on the premise.

Shortly after the May 25 video release on YouTube.com, Union County Sheriff Rock Nelson announced that Billy Joe Gregg, age 25, of Delaware County, was arrested in connection with the video, and charged with a dozen counts of cruelty to animals, a second degree misdemeanor.

Since that time, an investigation by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office has also been under way as to whether or not, co-owner and operator Gary Conklin should be charged in connection with the case.

Officially, on July 6, a Union County grand jury announced that Conklin would not be indicted, after investigators and veterinarians studied the video and concluded Conklin acted appropriately, according to County Prosecutor David Phillips. He said the video posted on YouTube.com used out-of-context scenes to create a false perception that Conklin was involved in the abuse, but investigators and grand jurors saw the original video.

“They saw the unedited video of Mr. Conklin’s actions, not the highly inflammatory version released on YouTube by Mercy for Animals,” Phillips said in a statement.

Conklin recently responded to the grand jury’s decision in the case. “Today’s announcement by the Union County Prosecutor is a bittersweet one for our family,” said Conklin. “Without question, it is gratifying that the grand jury found no reason to bring any charges against our farm, family members or current employees. However, we remain extraordinarily saddened by the willful abuse of animals on our farm by one of our former workers, as seen on the undercover video. It does not reflect our family’s long-standing commitment to animal care and well-being.”

Conklin went on to describe the past six weeks as a “terrible time,” citing continuing threats of attack against his family and farm.
“It is our hope that Conklin Dairy Cattle Sales can put this matter behind us, redouble our efforts to ensuring excellent care of our animals, maintain our commitment to our community, and operate our farm as we have done for four generations,” he added.
In fact, Conklin pointed to ongoing efforts on his farm to take the necessary measures so that future acts of abuse against animals will decease and desist.

“The mistreatment shown on the video is unacceptable and a number of steps have been taken to prevent it from happening again,” he said.

The activist group Mercy for Animals (MFA), who sent an undercover worker into Conklin’s to collect the video footage over a four-week period in April believes the grand jury is giving Conklin a “free pass” for animal abuse.

“Mercy For Animals was the only true watchdog and defender the animals at Conklin Dairy Farms had,” said Daniel Hauff, the group’s director of investigations. “The dairy industry and local law enforcement have all failed to detect the abuse or hold the abusers accountable.”

Phillips also mentioned last week that the grand jury considered filing charges against the undercover MFA farm employee, who shot the video footage and Mercy for Animals officials, but decided there wasn’t enough evidence.