Five men charged with animal cruelty in connection to an incident involving chickens at a Tyson breeder farm prosecuted by Attorney General Mark R. Herring’s Animal Law Unit were found guilty Aug. 23 in Buckingham County Circuit Court.

According to Lara N. Sisselman, press secretary for the office of the attorney general, Trent Johnson, 56, of Drakes Branch, pled no contest to animal cruelty in Buckingham and received 30 days with 30 days suspended for two years on the condition that he not supervise any crew working with animals for two years.

According Sisselman, Johnson received the same sentence in Lunenburg County Circuit Court.

Johnson, according to Sisselman, “was found guilty of swinging chickens by the wing to herd them from one side of the chicken house to another and throwing chickens into a transport cage instead of correctly loading them.”

According to Sisselman, Tyrone Delaney, 44, pled no contest to two counts of animal cruelty and received 12 months in jail with 12 months suspended for one year on the condition that he does not work with animals for one year.

Sisselman said Robin Bowen, 61, pled no contest to animal cruelty in Buckingham and received 12 months in jail with 12 months suspended on the condition that he does not work with animals for one year.

“Samuel Downs Jr., age 42, pled no contest to animal cruelty in Buckingham and received 30 days (in jail) with 30 days suspended on the condition he cannot work with animals for one year,” Sisselman said.

She said William Atkins, 43, pled no contest to animal cruelty and received 30 days in jail with 30 days suspended on the condition that he cannot work with animals for one year.