Baywatch star Alexandra Paul has never been particularly interested in playing it safe. On Sunday morning in rural Wisconsin, that instinct landed her in handcuffs.
The 62-year-old actress was arrested March 15 in Blue Mounds after authorities say she joined a group of dozens of activists who entered the grounds of Ridglan Farms, a controversial breeding facility long tied to biomedical research. By the time deputies arrived, the scene had already tipped from protest into something far more chaotic: beagles being carried out, vehicles waiting, and a confrontation that would end with roughly 20 arrests — including Paul.
According to the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, between 50 and 60 protesters gathered at the facility around 8:30 a.m. What happened next, officials say, crossed a legal line. “Some activists broke into the facility and began removing numerous dogs,” the department said in a statement. Several of those dogs were later recovered and returned, but others remain missing, their whereabouts still unknown as the investigation unfolds.
Authorities say they also seized two vehicles, alleged burglary tools, and other evidence tied to the operation. Paul, who remained in custody at the time of initial reports, now faces a trespassing-related charge tied to the incident.
Ridglan Farms has long been a flashpoint in the national debate over animal testing. The facility is one of only a handful in the United States that has supplied dogs — primarily beagles — for scientific and medical research. But its future was already in question. Just months earlier, in October 2025, the farm reached an agreement with local prosecutors that it would cease operating under its state license and stop breeding dogs for research by July 1, 2026.
For activists, the timeline wasn’t fast enough.
Sheriff Kalvin Barrett acknowledged the intensity of public feeling surrounding the facility but drew a firm line between protest and what authorities describe as criminal action. “We understand how deeply people feel for the beagles at Ridglan Farms, and we respect their right to express that passion through peaceful protests,” Barrett said. “Our role is to keep everyone safe and to respond when unlawful activity takes place.”
Paul’s arrest fits into a longer, almost defiant history of activism that has repeatedly blurred the boundary between protest and prosecution. In 2021, she was charged with misdemeanor theft after taking two chickens from a Foster Farms transport truck in California — a case that ended in acquittal after she testified about her motives in court.
Her advocacy stretches back decades. Paul has said she became a vegetarian as a teenager, later adopting a vegan lifestyle, and has pushed for animal-friendly provisions in her acting contracts, including refusing to wear materials like leather or use products tested on animals.
But Sunday’s incident suggests something more urgent — a willingness to escalate.
For now, authorities are still sorting through what happened at Ridglan Farms, tracking down the missing dogs and reviewing evidence collected at the scene. Whether additional charges will follow remains unclear.
