Animal activist gets 6-month sentence

Misty Edgecomb
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Staff writer

(May 17, 2006) — Adam Durand, the Rochester man who broke into the Wegmans egg farm in Wayne County in 2004, is in jail.

Found guilty of three counts of misdemeanor trespassing earlier this month, Durand was sentenced Tuesday to six months in Wayne County Jail.

The sentence also included a year of probation, 100 hours of community service and a $1,500 fine.

Durand is a member of Compassionate Consumers, a Rochester animal advocacy group that has accused Wegmans Food Markets Inc. of not treating its chickens humanely.

He and two other members of the group trespassed at the Wolcott farm three times to videotape conditions.

"It's outrageous that they would give him six months. Adam should be applauded, not sent to jail for this," said Ryan Merkley, spokesman for the group.

But Judge Dennis Kehoe rebuked Durand in court, calling his acts "vigilantism" and expressing a desire to destroy Durand's videotapes.

"We are relieved this is behind us, but we are also glad a strong message was sent that illegal entry onto private property will not be tolerated," said Wegmans spokeswoman Jo Natale, reading from a prepared statement.