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South Dakota files charges against activist raid on mink farm A man convicted in federal court in Wisconsin for releasing mink from farms in three states now faces state charges in South Dakota. Peter Daniel Young, 28, of Mercer Island, Wash., is charged in the release of hundreds of mink from the Turbak Mink Ranch near Kranzburg in 1997, said Codington County State's Attorney Vince Foley. Young was indicted in 1998 on federal charges for releasing mink at farms in South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin. After being a fugitive for several years, he pleaded guilty in a plea bargain to charges of animal enterprise terrorism and was sentenced last month to two years in prison in federal court in Madison, Wis. Young wasn't remorseful for his crime at the time. He read a statement to the court, calling his mink farm raids an "act of conscience." He told fur farmers in the audience "it was an absolute pleasure to raid your farms" and urged everyone in the courtroom to go out and attack more farms. Federal investigators said they believe Young is connected with the Animal Liberation Front, a radical group that has attempted to destroy animal-related industries it considers inhumane. Foley said the state charges of third degree burglary, intentional damage to property and animal enterprise trespass were filed against Young after discussions with the state attorney general's office and the owners of the now-defunct mink ranch. "We feel that the federal charges don't fit the severity of what happened in South Dakota," Foley said. "The charges in South Dakota apply only to the incident in South Dakota. In South Dakota, we take this type of interference seriously." Foley said there are still a few roadblocks before Young would answer to the charges in South Dakota, chief among those is extradition. "We will be in discussion with federal authorities on extradition," Foley said, adding he isn't sure how long that process will take. Foley said a six-year statute of limitations for the 1997 crimes did not apply during the time Young was considered a fugitive. As to the possibility of the new charges being considered "double jeopardy," Foley said that could be a concern. "That will, perhaps, be an issue," he said. "But we feel the federal charges were not on point with this incident."
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