Following the pre-trial proceedings in the case of the so-called Excelsior Four, prosecutors have stayed criminal charges of mischief and break and enter against Geoff Regier, one of the four accused. Mr. Regier had brought an application arguing an abuse of process on the part of law enforcement after he came forward as a whistleblower with evidence of animal cruelty and was himself turned over to police. In July 2019, Regier provided footage obtained inside Excelsior Hog Farms to the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) in hopes that they would investigate Excelsior hog farm. The BC SPCA turned the footage over to local police, who investigated and charged Regier for the manner in which the footage was obtained. Excelsior was not charged in relation to the pig suffering caught on camera. Regier alleged that sharing his identity with police seemed to contradict the BC SPCA’s practices, as their website suggests that reporting animal cruelty is confidential. Although the judge rejected Regier’s application, prosecutors nonetheless chose to stay the charges against him shortly after. The three remaining accused, Amy Soranno, Roy Sassano, and Nick Schafer, are set to begin a four-week criminal trial on June 27th, 2022. Read the Excelsior4 media release here.
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