Daniel Navarro, 49, of Pomona and Luis Sanchez, 32, of Chino are wanted for five felony counts animal cruelty and three misdemeanors, respectively, for maltreating cows while still employed at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., in Chino.
If convicted, Navarro would face up to eight years in prison and Sanchez, three years.
The issue was brought to the attention of San Bernardino County officials by a video footage documented by the Humane Society. It showed the two men kicking, shocking and otherwise abusing "downer" animals that were apparently too sick or injured to walk into the slaughterhouse.
The video was shot by a person working undercover for The Humane Society of the United States. After the footage was released to the media, Navarro and Sanchez, including their supervisor, were immediately fired from their jobs.
Subsequently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended the company's operations since it supplies meat to the federal school lunch program. It is also a major supplier of popular hamburger chains around the nation.
Investigations have found no evidence that meat from disabled animals has entered the food supply.
About 150 school districts around the nation have stopped using ground beef from Hallmark Meat Packing Co., however, there have been no reported illnesses linked to the beef at any of the schools.
Federal regulations call for keeping downed cattle out of the food supply because they may pose a higher risk of E. coli, salmonella contamination or mad cow disease because they typically wallow in feces and their immune systems are often weak.
