Morris Mink Farm Liberator Gets 3 Years in Prison

A California animal rights activist was sentenced Monday to three years in prison for his role in setting more than 2,000 minks free nearly three years ago in Morris, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune.

Kevin Johnson, 28, and fellow animal rights activist Tyler Lang, 27, reportedly broke into a Morris mink farm to release the animals. After doing so, prosecutors said they wrote the words “Liberation is Love” on a barn. In addition, they poured a caustic substance on two farm vehicles, damaging the paint.

Several minks that were released later died after being hit by traffic and more were killed in the wild. In total, more than 550 of them perished, according to the Tribune.

According to the indictment, the farms were in the business of breeding, raising and selling the animals to fur manufacturers.

The owners of the farm reportedly lost their retirement savings after they went out of business due to incident.

Johnson pleaded guilty in 2015 to one court of conspiring to travel across state lines to interfere with the operations of an animal enterprise. With credit for time served, Johnson could be released in three months, the Tribune reported.

Lang pleaded guilty in the case and will be sentenced next month.