Big news today.Much to our surprise, Adria Hinkle and Andrew Cook — the two PETA employees on trial for animal cruelty — took the witness stand this morning. During Hinkle’s testimony, one of her attorneys asked a young woman in the audience to stand up. Hinkle said that this mystery guest — and not veterinary technician Tonya Northcott — was the one who handed over a cat and two kittens at the Ashokie (NC) Animal Hospital. This directly contradicts Northcott’s sworn testimony — substantiated by three other people — that not only had she given Hinkle the animals, but that Hinkle assured her PETA would find them adoptive homes.During morning recess, we talked to the mystery woman outside the courtroom and asked if Adria was telling the truth. Visibly nervous, she said "no." We asked a second time if Hinkle was making it up and she nodded. She never testfied, though.Check back at PetaKillsAnimals.com tonight for a full rundown on this latest bombshell. Just moments ago, Judge Cy Grant dismissed and reduced some of the charges. But this is still an animal-cruelty trial, and PETA’s fingerprints are all over it.Click here for a full roundup of yesterday’s courtroom action — including some Grade A doublespeak from PETA’s top brass.
