Baywatch actress Alexandra Paul has been arrested after allegedly helping to free 30 beagles from a breeding facility in Wisconsin. The 62-year-old, who played Lieutenant Stephanie Holden in the 1990s series, was among 20 animal rights protesters taken into custody on Sunday.
Police said around 60 activists broke into Ridglan Farms, a lab near Madison that breeds beagles for scientific research. The activist group Direct Action Everywhere claimed they rescued the dogs, but police seized eight of the animals and arrested Paul and others. She remains in Dane County Jail ahead of her arraignment.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a statement: “Our role is to keep everyone safe and to respond when unlawful activity takes place.” Ridglan Farms reported that protesters cut a chain-link fence and gate to enter. Police recovered two vehicles and tools including sledgehammers and electric saws.
The facility has denied animal abuse allegations and agreed to stop selling dogs for biomedical research by 1 July. This is not Paul’s first arrest for animal rights activism; she was previously charged with stealing two chickens from a farm truck in 2019 but was found not guilty.
