Press Release · For Immediate Release
Felony charges filed against 47 more Ridglan rescuers
Madison, Wis. — July 3, 2026 — The Dane County District Attorney's Office has filed new felony charges against 47 individuals who helped rescue 22 beagle puppies from Ridglan Farms on March 15, 2026.
The charges
47 rescuers now face up to 12½ years in prison
The Dane County District Attorney's Office has officially filed charges against 47 additional beagle rescuers who were involved in the rescue of 22 puppies from Ridglan Farms on March 15, 2026. The official complaint can be viewed here. The rescuers face up to twelve years and six months in prison. Former Baywatch actor Alexandra Paul is among those charged.
Paul and the other defendants intend to fight the charges and use the trial as an opportunity to expose the dog experimentation industry.
Alexandra Paul
Carrying a dog out of Ridglan Farms was one of the best moments of my life. Knowing she is free and happy makes every charge I now face worth it.
— Alexandra Paul, arrested rescuer
How we got here
Nine years of documented cruelty
In 2017, Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) investigators were the first to enter Ridglan Farms. They documented dogs crammed into small cages, deprived of access to the outdoors; noxious air and feces building up beneath the cages; dogs with red and swollen feet from standing on wire cage floors; and dogs spinning endlessly in their cages.
Last year, a Wisconsin judge issued an order finding probable cause of felony animal cruelty by Ridglan and assigned a prosecutor to investigate. To avoid criminal charges, Ridglan cut a deal with the prosecutor, agreeing to close its breeding facility by July 1, 2026. The agreement, however, did not require the release of the dogs remaining at the facility.
That led over 100 nonviolent rescuers to enter Ridglan Farms on March 15. Twenty-two dogs were successfully rescued. The highly publicized effort inspired over 1,000 people to mobilize on April 18 to rescue the remaining dogs — instead, they were met with tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and mass arrests. (Photos and videos of the March 15 rescue.)
Amy Van Aartsen
It is astounding that, despite hundreds of documented animal welfare violations at Ridglan Farms, we are the ones facing charges. Ridglan was never formally prosecuted for animal cruelty, but we might go to prison for 12 years for trying to save dogs from experiencing animal cruelty.
— Amy Van Aartsen, charged rescuer
Where things stand
The dogs are free. The rescuers face prison.
In May and June, deals with Ridglan Farms were negotiated by Big Dog Ranch Rescue, Beagle Freedom Project, and the Center for a Humane Economy to secure the release of all of the approximately 2,135 beagles confined at Ridglan. Around 2,000 of those dogs have since been transported to rescues, fosters, and adopters across the country. The remaining 150 will be released in early August, after which Ridglan Farms will permanently cease operations.
A jury trial is currently scheduled for January 26, 2027, for Wayne Hsiung, Aditya Aswani, Dean Wyrzykowski, and Michelle “Misha” Lunsky — four rescuers who had felony charges filed against them in April stemming from their alleged leadership roles in the Ridglan rescue efforts.
For the press
Media inquiries
Contact Zoe Rosenberg · (805) 459-6557 · press@savethedogs.io