Animal-rights advocate could resolve contempt case.

By pamela manson
The Salt Lake Tribune
Jul 17, 2010

An animal-rights activist charged with contempt of court for allegedly refusing to testify about mink releases at Utah farms could be pleading guilty in the case.

The U.S. District Court docket shows a change-of-plea hearing scheduled on July 27 for Jordan Halliday, founder of the Animal Defense League of Salt Lake City. Those hearings generally are set after a defendant has struck a plea bargain with prosecutors.

Halliday was indicted last year on the felony contempt charge, which stemmed from his appearances before a federal grand jury on March 4 and March 13 of 2009. The panel was investigating the release of hundreds of minks at the McMullin farm in South Jordan in August 2008; the release of minks at the Lodder farm in Kaysville in September 2008; and an attempt to damage the operations of the Mathews mink farm in Hyrum in October 2008.

A government brief alleges that Halliday refused to take an oath at an initial appearance on Feb. 18, 2009, and responded with "no comment" to almost every question. At his March 4, 2009, appearance, Halliday asserted a Fifth Amendment right against incriminating himself in connection with innocuous questions such as where he lived, the brief says.

And despite being granted immunity from prosecution based on his testimony, Halliday still resisted answering questions on March 13, 2009, the government alleges.

Two men, Alex Jason Hall and William James Viehl, were charged in connection with attacks at the McMullin and Mathews farms. They pleaded guilty to the mink release at the McMullin farm and Hall was sentenced earlier this year to 21 months in prison and Viehl to 24 months.

No one else has been charged in the McMullin and Matthews mink farm attacks. The Lodder farm incident, which resulted in several hundred thousand dollars of damage, is still under investigation.

Authorities say they also are investigating possible intimidation of grand jurors, who were approached and photographed on Feb. 18, 2009, as they were leaving the federal courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

pmanson@sltrib.com