This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Slaughterhouse Worker Gets Jail Time
Daniel Ugarte Navarro, left, stands outside Chino Superior Court with defense attorney Ruben Salazar following his sentencing (AP Photo/THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/David Bauman)
One of the slaughterhouse workers at Westland/Hallmark Meat Company in Chino was sentenced this week to nine months in jail and probation after secret video footage (warning, it is graphic) revealed staff was mistreating the animals leading to the largest beef recall in U.S. history (the U.S. Department of Agriculture recalled 143 million pounds of the company's frozen beef). "Daniel Ugarte Navarro, 49, was sentenced after pleading no contest in June to two felony counts of animal cruelty and two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to downed animals," according to the Associated Press via LA Unleashed.
Another former employee, Rafael Sanchez Herrera who was seen in the video using a forklift to move cows too sick to stand in order to bring them to slaughter, pleaded guilty to criminal charges back in March.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
