When Timothy Hitchins
and other animal rights activists donned masks and black clothing
before barging into the Juno Beach office of Seaboard Securities -- a
firm that traded the stock of a company that uses animals for research
and testing -- their intent was simply to shed light on animal cruelty,
he said.
But the purported peaceful demonstration turned physical and Hitchins
was charged with burglary, disorderly conduct and wearing a mask at a
demonstration. The December 2004 incident made headlines when law
enforcement linked the demonstration to the Animal Liberation Front,
characterized as a domestic terrorism organization by the FBI and the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
In a deal with prosecutors, Hitchins pleaded guilty Monday to burglary,
which prosecutor Caroline Shepherd said carries a penalty of up to five
years in prison. The other charges were dropped. Circuit Judge Lucy
Chernow Brown ordered Hitchins, 25, who now lives in Portland, Ore., to
serve three years' probation and perform 50 hours of community service.
The judge agreed to withhold adjudication, meaning there is not a
formal finding of guilt.
Hitchins' lawyer, Paul Petruzzi, said Hitchins and the others were at
fault for instigating the protest, but blamed the violence on the
Seaboard Securities employees.
"These were a bunch of college kids protesting animal cruelty,"
Petruzzi said. "There's a real big difference between [Osama] bin Laden
and folks who protest Kentucky Fried Chicken."
A spokesman for Seaboard Securities declined comment.
Hitchins, who has a bachelor's degree in environmental policy from
the University of Florida, said he has been waiting to resolve the case
so he can apply to law school with the goal of practicing environmental
law.
He said he's merely an animal lover who spent time in New Orleans last
year aiding animals injured or displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
"My sentence today pales in comparison to the torture and suffering the
animals inside Huntingdon Life Sciences endure ...," he said.
In August, co-defendant Heather Courtney, also a Florida graduate, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors.
The night before the protest, 19 computer monitors were smashed and
paperwork was stolen from the Tequesta office of Seaboard Securities. A
note was left behind that read "A.L.F. Drop HLSI," obvious references,
law enforcement thought, to the Animal Liberation Front and Huntingdon
Life Sciences, a company that uses animals in its research.
Missy Stoddard can be reached at mstoddard@sun-sentinel.com or 561-228-5505.
Copyright © 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
