Two people arrested for releasing minks linked to anarchist communes in Massachusetts; Couple accused of eco-terrorism

Oct. 28 – SUNBURY – Federal Bureau of Investigation officials say two Massachusetts residents involved in the Oct. 19 release of hundreds of minks in Northumberland County are linked to anarchist groups in New England.

Pennsylvania State Police also believe one of them was paid $50,000 to come to Sunbury and release the animals.

According to an amended criminal complaint filed by Stonington State Police, 25-year-old Christopher Legere and 27-year-old Cara Mitrano are associated with “Firehouse” and “Collective A Go Go,” anarchist communes located in Worcester, Massachusetts, law enforcement officials said. Police say the pair released 683 minks from the Richard Stahl Fur Farm near Sunbury on October 19.

According to the complaint, officers intercepted phone calls from the Northumberland County Jail during which Legere claimed he was promised $50,000.

District Attorney Mike O’Donnell amended the charges and added crimes of eco-terrorism, burglary, theft by unlawful taking, criminal activity, corrupt organizations and misdemeanors including trespassing, recklessly endangering another person, accident causing damage, vagrancy. Court documents show that they prowl in the night and conspire for unjust arrest.

Police launched an investigation into the second incident at the farm in just over a year when they were called to the farm on October 19. Police spoke with members of Stahl’s family, who said they took photos of the suspect’s vehicle when police said members of the fur farm tried to block the road to prevent the two suspects from leaving.

Troopers said the suspects attempted to flee the scene once, and when located, accelerated the vehicle they were in toward one of Stah’s vehicles, damaging the vehicle, before fleeing south on Airport Road, troopers said.

The Stahls followed the vehicle and observed it turn onto Seven Points Road and then onto Captain Bloom Road, where one of the stallholders saw a backpack, work gloves and a dark sweatshirt thrown from the fleeing vehicle, troopers said.

Ralpho Township police learned of the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop shortly after the incident, troopers said. According to the police, the vehicle was towed from the scene.

Troopers said a hand-drawn map and directions were recovered from Mitrano’s front pants pocket.

After executing a search warrant signed by a Northumberland County judge, officers said they found a wire-cutting tool and two “policy proposal” stickers depicting a police car on fire. Also found were work gloves, a lock picking kit, a map and driving directions, with an “X” on Airport Road where Mitrano and Legere were said to have parked, and an arrow illustrating where to go through the woods to the Stahl Mink farm.

Both are being held in lieu of $150,000 bail and will appear before Sunbury County Judge Rachel Wiest-Benner on Tuesday morning for a preliminary hearing.

This is the second time in just over a year that vandals have attacked a fur farm. Thousands of minks were released in September 2023.

O’Donnell would not say whether the two incidents were related.

During the 2023 incident, Joseph Buddenberg, spokesman for the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, said he believed the target was a farm. According to the website, animalliberationpressoffice.orgAn anonymous letter was sent to the site claiming responsibility for the attack.