York man pleads guilty in turkey abuse case at Plainville Farms New Oxford plant

Mike Argento, York Daily Record
·1 min read

A tenth defendant charged with abusing turkeys at the Plainville Farms New Oxford processing plant pleaded guilty to one count of cruelty to animals and was sentenced to 12 months probation on Wednesday in Cumberland County court, according to court records.

Jason Kyle Turner, 24, of York, was among 11 former employees of the poultry processor accused of kicking, stomping and beating turkeys in the plant, according to state police.

As a condition of his unsupervised probation, according to court records, Turner, like the other nine defendants whose cases ended in guilty pleas, cannot be employed in any business that cares for animals.

More: Turkey abuse: Two more ex-Plainville Farms employees convicted of cruelty to animals

A 10th defendant accused of abusing turkeys at Plainville Farms' New Oxford processing plant has pleaded guilty. In total, 11 former employees of the plant had been charged with abusing turkeys.
A 10th defendant accused of abusing turkeys at Plainville Farms' New Oxford processing plant has pleaded guilty. In total, 11 former employees of the plant had been charged with abusing turkeys.

The case stems from a state police investigation that began in August 2021 when the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a complaint about the abuse witnessed by one of its employees who witnessed the abuse. It concluded with the defendants being charged in October 2022.

Plainville Farms CEO Matt Goodson has said that the company has "zero tolerance for anything like the alleged actions of these former employees." The company said it has brought in third-party auditors, increased employee training and distributed body cameras to workers who work with live birds.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: York PA man pleads guilty in turkey abuse case