KENTLAND, Ind. — Witnesses have told prosecutors in Newton County that the abuse of baby cows seen on video at Fair Oaks Farms may have been coerced.

The video of the abuse was captured by an undercover Animal Recovery Mission associate who was posing as a worker on the farm. One of the suspects in the case told prosecutors the ARM worker encouraged the abuse. Now, prosecutors say another witness is corroborating the suspect’s claim.

“A third-party witness has come forward to corroborate the allegations made by a suspect that the ARM employee encouraged or coerced the behavior depicted in the portions of video that have been released publicly, “prosecutors said in an emailed statement. “Detectives continue to investigate these claims through additional interviews and written discovery.”

Animal Recovery Mission has called the prosecutor’s statement “unfounded” and said the claim “couldn’t be further from the truth.”

ARM goes on to call the statement by prosecutors “unprofessional” and irresponsible.”

Fair Oaks Farms also released a statement saying “law enforcement’s investigation will follow its own course. We continue to focus and make every effort to ensure the safety and welfare of our animals so this never happens again.”