Baywatch’s Alexandra Paul has been arrested on charges connected to freeing animals during animal rights protests.
Paul, 62, was arrested on Sunday, March 15, in Wisconsin after a group of protesters allegedly trespassed the Ridglan Farms property. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to People on Monday, March 16, that Paul was one of approximately 20 people who were arrested. The outlet noted that Paul was still in police custody at the time.
“Some activists broke into the facility and began removing numerous dogs,” authorities said in a statement, noting that some beagles taken were recovered and returned to Ridglan Farms after the incident.
Several more dogs, however, are still unaccounted for. Authorities are still investigating the situation and seized two vehicles, burglary tools and other evidence.
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Ridglan Farms is one of two large dog breeding facilities in the U.S. that offer animals for scientific research. As of October 2025, Ridglan Farms agreed with the La Crosse County District Attorney that it would no longer operate under its Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) license and would not sell dogs purposefully bred for biomedical research. WKOW 27 reported that the agreement would go into effect beginning no later than July 1, 2026.
DCSO Sheriff Kalvin Barrett stated that the agency “understands how deeply people feel for the beagles at Ridglan Farms, and we respect their right to express that passion through peaceful protests.”
He continued: “Our role is to keep everyone safe and to respond when unlawful activity takes place. We encourage anyone with concerns about animal welfare or research practices to engage through lawful and constructive avenues.”
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Paul, who played Stephanie Holden on Baywatch from 1992 to 1997, was previously charged with misdemeanor theft for allegedly taking two chickens from a Foster Farms truck in September 2021. The Fresno Bee reported that she testified in Merced County in March 2023 and was found not guilty.
Before making headlines for legal woes, Paul spoke with People in 2011 about her animal activism with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
She explained how her activism began when she became a vegetarian at 14 and then a vegan at 47. Paul stopped wearing leather, wool, silk and fur at 26 years old and wrote in her acting contracts that she would not wear “any makeup tested on animals.”
