The Daily Iowan (U. of IA)
Man charged in Spence action
BY REGINA ZILBERMINTS |
NOVEMBER 20, 2009 7:21 AM
http://www.dailyiowan.com/2009/11/20/Metro/14539.html

About five years after a break-in at a UI lab that resulted in about
$450,000 in damages, a federal prosecutor unsealed an indictment
against a Minnesota man thought to be related to the incident.

Though the Nov. 14, 2004, break-in at Spence Labs in Seashore Hall
isn’t mentioned specifically in the grand-jury indictment, the nature
of the allegations, location, and dates mentioned in the document
correspond with the incident.

Prosecutors allege Scott DeMuth, 22, conspired with others to commit
animal-enterprise terrorism and cause economic damages to the animal
enterprise.

DeMuth and Carrie Feldman, 20, both of Minneapolis, remain jailed
after refusing to testify before a grand jury earlier this week
despite subpoenas. They are charged with contempt of court.

Grand-jury proceedings are kept sealed, but both individuals wrote on
their blogs that they believed the subpoenas were related to the UI
break-in.

It is the first such indictment related to the incident.

Seashore Hall, which contains Spence Labs, was closed for several
weeks after four masked individuals obtained access to the labs with
key cards. Responders found 30 computers and three offices damaged, as
well as 400 rodents missing.

HAZMAT crews were called in to clean up chemical spills.

The Animal Liberation Front — a national animal-rights group — claimed
responsibility in an e-mail message shortly after.

In 2004, several researchers and UI administration expressed outrage
over the incident.

“This was not a political act or an act of civil disobedience. It was
a felony crime and deserves nothing but condemnation,” David Skorton,
Michael Hogan, and William Decker — then the president, provost, and
vice president for Research, respectively — wrote in a letter
published in The Daily Iowan on Dec. 9, 2004.

All three have since left the UI and could not be reached for comment.

But Animal Liberation Front spokesman Jerry Vlasak condemned the
investigation into the incident itself, calling it a “fishing
expedition” five years after the fact.



Who cares how long it takes to catch a fish as long as they land them. I hope the courts award original damages of 450,000 plus interest and make sure the culprits do serious time for their fascist actions. The majority of thinking folk look upon animal research as a helpmate to humanity. These loons from ALF are not gaining public support because they do not deserve it. Time for the courts to give them more then a slap on the wrist.

“The fact they’re using a grand jury to gather information generally
speaks to the fact they don’t have any credible evidence,” he said.

That argument is a common one among opponents to grand juries, who
fear they can be used to gather information rather than present
evidence, and both Feldman and DeMuth have said they oppose the use of
such a body.

The grand jury is used by federal prosecutors to present the charges
and obtain indictments against accused individuals.

Other activists throughout the Midwest have set up websites and
Twitter accounts in support of DeMuth and Feldman. One message asks
the public to inundate the prosecutor’s office with phone calls.







Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
Activist pleads not guilty to UI vandalism
By ANN McGLYNN amcglynn@qctimes.com |
Posted: Friday, November 20, 2009
http://www.wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_b06c6e30-d638-11de-84e1-001cc4c002e0.html

DAVENPORT - A journal and a lock-picking device seized during a search
warrant at a Minnesota activist's home last year link him to the 2004
animal rights vandalism at the University of Iowa, federal authorities
said Friday.

A person dressed in all dark clothing, seen in a video of the action,
also matches the description of Scott DeMuth, who is charged with
conspiracy in U.S. District Court, Davenport, officials said.

But the attorney for DeMuth, James Clements, said he is looking
forward to trial "if this is the kind of testimony we can expect."

DeMuth, 22, pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy Friday. The
government is requesting he be detained pending trial, which was set
for March. DeMuth's attorney argued he should be released.

U.S. Magistrate Thomas Shields expects to issue a ruling soon on the matter.

The items were seized during an investigation into protesters of the
Republican National Committee convention in Minneapolis in 2008,
according to testimony from Thomas Reinwart, FBI agent.

The lock pick is relevant because a person is seen entering an
elevator using a lock-picking device on a video released days after
the act, which caused about $500,000 in damage to psychology
department laboratories five years ago this month, according to
questions by prosecutor Cliff Cronk and answers by Reinwart. Hundreds
of animals were released. The Animal Liberation Front claimed
responsibility.

The journal, testimony revealed, is relevant because in it, DeMuth
made a reference in an August 2005 entry to an incident about a year
earlier in Iowa. He also makes reference to a person identified only
as "P."

Authorities believe "P" is Peter Young, they said. He was indicted in
connection to fur farm raids in the Midwest in the late 1990s.
He was
arrested in 2005 and sentenced to federal prison for two years. Young
has written about DeMuth and Feldman recently on his Web site,
voiceofthevoiceless.org.


Young could be facing serious jail time & the 450,000 dollar damages would certainly be major pay back for the four who brook into the facility. No wonder Jerry Vlasak is worried about the fishing expedition. Young is one of ALF's most militant supporters & WHINNERS.
In the journal, DeMuth wrote about how DeMuth maybe should have gone
underground, that federal authorities have a lot of information on "P"
and that DeMuth is only considered an associate and not a suspect,
officials said. DeMuth also posted information on a MySpace account
regarding a benefit for Young.

Authorities also played the video from the University of Iowa action,
released a few days afterward. Cronk pointed out a person spraying
graffiti on walls changed hands at one point while writing.

Clements argued that there was nothing distinctive about the people in
the video, and that lots of people could match the description.
DeMuth, he said, would return to Minnesota to continue his graduate
school program if he was released pending trial.

DeMuth's girlfriend, his mother and a professor attended Friday's
hearing, he noted. DeMuth also appeared when subpoenaed before a grand
jury.

Cronk countered that DeMuth should be detained because of the journal
entries that indicated a desire to go underground and that he refused
to comply with the court order to testify before the grand jury.

DeMuth and Carrie Feldman were held in contempt for failure to
testify. Feldman remains in custody on that contempt charge. The
contempt charge against DeMuth has been dismissed because of the
criminal charge, Cronk said.

"The court should have great concern about Mr. DeMuth's sincerity or
willingness to follow a court order," Cronk said. "There's nothing to
stop him from fleeing."

Last edited by Mira Trapper; 11/24/09 07:24 AM.

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