Animal Rights Protesters Detained Near Petaluma (WATCH)

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said 98 people were detained Monday in a daylong protest by the Direct Action Everywhere animal rights group at a duck farm near Petaluma. Those detained were being arrested and booked into Sonoma County Jail, sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Crum said.

The sheriff's office issued a Nixle alert around 1:20 p.m. advising people to stay away from the facility in the 3700 block of Middle Two Rock Road in unincorporated southwest Sonoma County.
Deputies first responded at about 10 a.m. Monday to find "busloads of people" outside Reichardt Duck Farm, sheriff's officials said.

Roads were blocked, pedestrians were in the street and traffic was congested, according to the sheriff's office.

Direct Action Everywhere said in a news release that about 600 activists were at the duck slaughterhouse and dozens planned to lock their necks to the slaughterhouse shackles and machinery.

Direct Action Everywhere said the Reichardt Duck Farm slaughters a million ducks annually and is the subject of numerous reports of animal cruelty.

Dozens of animal rights activists were arrested in September at a farm that supplies starving animals to Petaluma Poultry, the activist group said. A preliminary hearing for six protesters is scheduled for August in Sonoma County Superior Court.

Sheriff's officials said Monday that the group "has a history of trespassing, assault and stealing animals from Petaluma area livestock farms."

The sheriff's office sent its tactical team in full gear Monday to provide crowd control. Officers from Santa Rosa and Petaluma police departments and the California Highway Patrol responded to assist "as the crowd swelled to the hundreds," sheriff's officials said.

Early in the incident, a group of 10 activists was accused of storming "the farm in an attempt to take birds off the property," sheriff's officials said.

Those 10 were quickly detained.

"A daylong protest ensued and protesters chained themselves by the neck using metal chains, padlocks and bike locks," the sheriff's office said.

At 4 p.m., the protesters reportedly remained and demanded to be arrested. Dozens of voluntary arrests were made for trespassing, according to the sheriff's office.

"Many of the protesters had keys and released themselves in order to be arrested," sheriff's officials said at 5:12 p.m. "The Wilmar Fire Department was summoned and was able to cut the remaining protesters’ locks leaving them free to be arrested. In all 98 protesters were arrested, mostly for trespassing charges. They are currently being booked into the Sonoma County Jail."

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report.