WELD COUNTY, Colo. – The Weld County Sheriff's Office cited three workers at Quanah Cattle Company in Kersey, Colo. with animal cruelty on Nov. 15. The workers were charged based on an undercover video recorded by Compassion Over Killing, an animal welfare special interest group.

Larry Loma, Ernesto Daniel Valenzuela-Alvarez and Tomas Cerda were each cited for a Class 1 misdemeanor charge of animal abuse. The charges could result in six to 18 months in jail and a $500 to $5,000 fine, according to local news reports. The three men were fired from their jobs.


Compassion Over Killing submitted the video to the sheriff's office on Nov. 12. Law enforcement said the investigation is ongoing.

"Sheriff’s Detectives are planning to speak with the person who filmed the abuses to determine if any additional suspects remain to be identified. All three suspects in the case were believed to have been hired through a temporary agency (which cannot be named at this time due to the ongoing investigation)," Sheriff John Cooke said in a written statement.

Quanah is owned by Tulare, Calif.-based J.D. Heiskell & Co., a privately owned feed company with operations in 12 states.