1 Of 3 Charged In Calf Abuse Case Pleads Guilty
GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4)- One of three men charged with abusing cattle in Northern Colorado has pleaded guilty. That abuse was caught on undercover video.
The three suspects in the case are Larry Loma, Tomas Cerda and Ernesto Daniel Valenzuela-Alvarez.
Tuesday morning, Cerda pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
The Quanah Cattle Co. facility is located near Kersey, 55 miles northeast of Denver.
Last fall an investigation at the facility began after the animal rights group Compassion Over Killing released undercover video of the calves being kicked, dragged, thrown and lifted by their tails.
The operation purchases Holstein calves from local dairies, raises the steers until they reach about 300 pounds and sells them to feed yards. Heifers are sold back to dairies when they reach the right age.
Valenzuela-Alvarez used a translator in court to ask the judge for more time to hire an attorney.
He told CBS4 he had nothing to say about the animal cruelty charges.
Loma has hired an attorney and is scheduled to appear in court for a pre-trial conference next month.