Two people arrested for releasing minks linked to anarchist communes in Massachusetts; The couple was accused of eco-terrorism

Oct. 28—SUNBURY—FBI officials say two Massachusetts men involved in the Oct. 19 release of hundreds of mink in Northumberland County are linked to anarchist groups in New England.

Pennsylvania State Police also believe one of them was paid $50,000 to come to Sunbury and release the animals.

According to an amended criminal complaint filed by Stonington State Police, Christopher Legere, 25, and Cara Mitrano, 27, are associated with Firehouse and Collective A Go Go, an anarchist group located in Worcester, Massachusetts, law enforcement officials said. bodies Police say the pair released 683 mink from Richard Stahl’s fur farm near Sunbury in the early evening of October 19.

Police say they intercepted phone calls from the Northumberland County Jail, where Legere claimed he was promised $50,000, according to the criminal complaint.

District Attorney Mike O’Donnell amended the charges to add felony counts of ecoterrorism, burglary, theft by trespass, criminal activity, corrupt organization and trespassing on farm land, recklessly endangering another person, accident with damage, disorderly conduct and prowling at night and conspiracy to commit warrantless detention, according to court documents.

Police began investigating the second incident at the farm in just over a year when they were called to the farm in the early hours of October 19. Police spoke with members of the Stahl family, who said they took pictures of the suspect’s car. Members of the fur farm tried to block the road to prevent the two suspects from leaving, police said.

The suspects tried to flee the scene once, and when they were located, the pair accelerated the car they were in into one of Stah’s cars, damaging the car before fleeing south on Airport Road, police said.

The Stahls followed the vehicle and watched as it turned onto Seven Points Road and then onto Captain Bloom Road, where one of the Stahls saw a backpack, work gloves and a dark sweatshirt thrown from the fleeing vehicle, police said.

Ralpho Township police became aware of the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop shortly after the incident, officers said. The vehicle was towed from the scene, the police said.

A hand-drawn map and directions were recovered from Mitrano’s front pants pocket, police said.

After executing a search warrant signed by a Northumberland County judge, police said they found a wire-cutting tool, two “policy proposal” stickers with an image of a burning police car. Also found were work gloves, a lockpicking kit, a map and directions with an “X” on Airport Road where the two Mitranos and Legere were supposed to park, and an arrow showing where to go through the woods to Stahl Mink Farm.

Both are being held in lieu of $150,000 cash bail and will appear before Sunbury District Judge Rachel Wiest-Benner Tuesday morning for a preliminary hearing.

This is the second time in more than a year that a fur farm has been damaged by vandals. In September 2023, thousands of minks were released.

O’Donnell did not say whether the two incidents were related.

At the time of the 2023 incident, Joseph Buddenberg, a press officer for Animal Liberation North America, said he believed the farm was a target. According to the website, animalliberationpressoffice.organ anonymous letter claiming responsibility for the attack was published on the website.