Two activists arrested with “burglary tools” in rural Illinois
Animal rights activists held in jail for allegedly possessing wire cutters.
Los Angeles animal rights activists Kevin Olliff and Tyler Lang have been arrested in rural Illinois, charged with felony “possession of burglary tools.”
These are the facts of the case that are known right now:
![KevinTyler11[1]](https://i0.wp.com/www.animalliberationfrontline.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/KevinTyler111.jpg)
Kevin Olliff and Tyler Lang
Kevin Olliff and Tyler Lang were subsequently arrested for “possession of burglary tools.” The police have not made any statement as to what they believe the intended “burglary” target was, and Kevin & Tyler were not arrested on anyone’s property. Their history as activists appears to be the sole basis for the charges.
Their new support site cautions that details on the arrest are still emerging :
“Many details are not known, and there are some we cannot post publicly yet.”
They face a maximum of 3 years in prison.
To recap
- They were not arrested in the commission of a crime.
- They were not arrested on anyone’s property.
- They were not arrested near the scene of any crime.
Their only “crimes” are being known animal rights activists in (alleged) possession of wire cutters.
Exorbitant bail amounts set
Shortly after their arrest bail was set. After the prosecutor asked for much lower bail amounts, the judge went beyond the prosecution’s request and set bail at $100,000 for Tyler Lang, and $200,000 for Kevin Olliff.
These amounts are far above normal. In Illinois, $15,000 is the standard bail for Class 4 felonies.
The two remain in Woodford County Jail, pending the outcome of a bail reduction hearing in the future.
How you can help
A support site has been set up to post updates on Kevin and Tyler’s case. Right now, here’s what you can do:
Repost their support site link: The Support Kevin and Tyler site is up and will be updated regularly.
Send books: Mail rules at the Woodford County Jail are considerably more reasonable than most larger jails. Anyone can put any book into an envelope and send directly to Kevin or Tyler (both softcover and hardcover). Their book wish lists are posted here.
Update: Hours after their book wish list was posted, the jail announced that all books are banned from Woodford County Jail. in a jail with less than 20 prisoners, this is a transparent attempt to target Kevin & Tyler. Check the Support Kevin and Tyler site for updates.
Send letters: Anyone can correspond with them via email or written letters. With email, prisoners at Woodford County Jail must send the first email. To start an email correspondence, first send a written letter with your email address and they will email you a response.
(Note: Kevin’s legal name is “Kevin Johnson”)
Kevin Johnson #4565
Woodford County Jail
111 E Court St.
Eureka, IL 61530
Tyler Lang #4564
Woodford County Jail
111 E Court St.
Eureka, IL 61530
More updates to come
There are many details which will be coming out in the near future, and they will be posted here.
The cops illegally searched without a warrant. This should be thrown out of court. How can they call what they had in their trunk “burglary tools”? I have tools and apparel like that lying around my house. Am I a criminal??
These 2 guys are heroes. The police are the criminals.
I am watching this from London UK.
You will not be able to convict these people.
Please spend the peoples taxes on stopping true criminals.
We are following from the Netherlands and support the heroes that stand up against animal abusers.
Keep up the fight !
What time is the preliminary hearing on Sept. 9? I can perhaps attend, as Peoria is only 30 minutes from the courthouse in Woodford County. Eureka College, a liberal arts college, is there in the town, and perhaps some of the students can help.
Preliminary hearings for them are set at 1 pm and 1:30 pm today, Sept. 9.
Since Tyler was not released from the Sept. 9th court appearance. I (his mom) journeyed to Illinois to see if my idol, my son, whom I live vicariously through, was in need of my assistance. I would like to pass on what I saw first hand. Tyler is in good spirits. Although he looks good, I am still concerned about his health. They will still not accomadate his diet.
I pray that these young man are released soon. I don’t know how someone can be attested when no crime has been committed . The real crime is committed by those that inflict unrelenting suffering of animals in factory farms and all the other places they are imprisoned.