{"id":81716,"date":"2025-12-04T19:51:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T19:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/81716\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T19:51:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T19:51:17","slug":"uc-berkeley-student-gets-30-days-in-jail-in-chicken-theft-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/81716\/","title":{"rendered":"UC Berkeley student gets 30 days in jail in chicken theft case"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"\"Zoe Rosenberg delivers a speech to supporters gathered in anticipation of her sentencing over a 2023 \u201crescue\u201d of four chickens from a Petaluma poultry farm in Santa Rosa on Dec. 3, 2025. Credit: Aryk Copley for KQED<\/p>\n

UC Berkeley student and animal rights activist Zoe Rosenberg was sentenced to 30 days in jail Wednesday afternoon\u00a0after being convicted<\/a>\u00a0of breaking into a Petaluma farm and stealing four chickens in a case that drew international attention.<\/p>\n

In addition to the time in custody, Rosenberg was sentenced to 60 days served through a jail alternative and ordered to pay restitution, including over $100,000 to Petaluma Poultry. She is set to report to custody by Dec. 10.<\/p>\n

The sentence is far less than the 4 \u00bd-year maximum that Rosenberg, 23, could have faced after being convicted of felony conspiracy and three misdemeanor counts in October. The Sonoma County district attorney\u2019s office had asked the judge to issue a 180-day sentence, calling Rosenberg\u2019s lack of remorse \u201cstaggering.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sentencing marks the end<\/a>\u00a0of the high-profile criminal case that spiraled out of a series of break-ins to Petaluma Poultry. On four separate occasions, prosecutors said, Rosenberg and a group of organizers with the Berkeley-based animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere entered the farm without permission, went through paperwork and computers, affixed GPS monitors to delivery vehicles and ultimately stole four chickens off a truck bed in June 2023.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/Zoe Rosenberg with chickens. Courtesy: Zoe Rosenberg<\/p>\n

Rosenberg never denied the allegations against her. She said the chickens were covered in scratches and bruises and needed to be \u201crescued.\u201d<\/p>\n

Direct Action Everywhere is known for its \u201copen rescues<\/a>,\u201d in which activists enter farms where they believe animals are being abused and remove them. When asked on the stand if she wanted open rescue \u201cto be something that happens everywhere,\u201d Rosenberg told prosecutors: \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the course of her six-week trial, Rosenberg\u2019s defense argued that her unlawful actions were justified given the conditions of the chickens. The prosecution, in turn, argued that Rosenberg\u2019s evidence was flimsy and that the theft was a felony that went beyond animal welfare. Ultimately, the jury agreed with the prosecution.<\/p>\n

Many Sonoma County ranchers and farmers have called Direct Action Everywhere \u201cextremist\u201d and condemned its tactics as dangerous and unlawful.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/Supporters of animal rights activist Zoe Rosenberg gather outside the Superior Court of California in Santa Rosa on Dec. 3, 2025. Credit: Aryk Copley for KQED<\/p>\n

\u201cFor years, DxE has harassed farm families and workers, trespassed on private property, and stolen from local businesses,\u201d Dayna Ghirardelli, executive director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, said in the trial\u2019s aftermath. \u201cOur community has consistently rejected their extreme tactics, and this verdict reinforces that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosenberg\u2019s\u00a0TikTok posts<\/a>\u00a0about her case drew millions of views, and the trial garnered attention from high-profile activists, including actor Joaquin Phoenix, who rebuked the verdict and urged the Sonoma County district attorney to investigate allegations of animal cruelty at Petaluma Poultry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen individuals step in to save a life because the system has looked the other way, they should be supported \u2014 not prosecuted,\u201d he said in a statement. \u201cWe have to decide who we are as a society: one that protects the vulnerable, or one that punishes those who try.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u200b\u200bBerkeleyside is a media partner of KQED<\/a>, a listener-supported public radio station serving Northern California. Berkeleyside occasionally republishes KQED stories we believe will be of interest to our readers.<\/p>\n

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