Barry Orndorff, a 64-year-old man from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, was acquitted on over 3,000 animal abuse charges on Friday (September 3). Orndorff was initially charged with 450 counts of felony aggravated animal cruelty and misdemeanor animal cruelty in June 2021, when authorities removed over 400 animals from his farm. The animals included a horse, goats, sheep, ducklings, chickens, and rabbits. The Speranza Animal Rescue Group, which assisted in the rescue, described the conditions as deplorable, with animals standing in feet of feces and having access to only algae-filled water.
Despite these allegations, Orndorff was found not guilty of all 3,150 related charges. The defense argued that the case was a prosecution of a little-known corner of agribusiness. The Cumberland County District Attorney's Office expressed disappointment at the ruling. Local21News reported that the trial lasted a week.