NEWS'Baywatch' Actress Arrested for Storming Farm and Freeing Beagles in Animal Rights Protest
Alexandra Paul is best known for her role as Stephanie Holden on the hit television series about lifeguards.
March 17 2026, Published 10:58 a.m. ET
Baywatch actress Alexandra Paul was arrested for trying to help dogs.
Paul, 62, along with dozens of other animal rights activists, stormed a Wisconsin beagle breeding facility and took more than 20 pups on Sunday, March 15.
Per a press release, authorities "responded to Ridglan Farms in the town of Blue Mounds when 50-60 protestors entered the property without permission."
Dozens of protestors freed beagles from a breeding facility on March 15.
'We Did What We Believed Was Necessary'
The farm conducts scientific research on dogs.
The controversial farm is one of only two large dog breeders in the country that conduct scientific research on dogs.
According to FOX6 News Milwaukee, the team of activists were led by attorney Wayne Hsiung, who can be seen smashing windows in footage posted to his Instagram account.
Hsiung, who was also arrested, said in a statement, "We did what we believed was necessary to bring the dogs to safety after authorities declined to intervene."
Approximately 60 people were involved in the protest.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said, "The Dane County Sheriff’s Office understands how deeply people feel for the beagles at Ridglan Farms, and we respect their right to express that passion through peaceful protests. 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."
The press release also stated that following an animal welfare investigation, Ridglan Farms facility will surrender its Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATC) breeding license by July 1.
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This Is Not the First Time Alexandra Paul Has Been Arrested
Alexandra Paul has been arrested numerous times for her animal rights activism.
Paul, who is best known for her role as Stephanie Holden on Baywatch, has found herself in legal trouble a number of times over the years.
The former actress was arrested in 2017 for joining a sit-in at an an Oakland, Calif., slaughterhouse, and again a year later for civil disobedience at Sunrise Chicken Farm.
In 2019, she also was apprehended for peacefully protesting at Reichardt Duck Farm in Petaluma, Calif. Another incident involving a pig rescue occurred in 2020.
Most recently, Paul went to court in 2023 for rescuing a chicken from a Foster Farms slaughterhouse truck, but was acquitted following a nine-day trial.
The Actress Once Refused to Be in a 'Baywatch' Episode Because of Her Beliefs
The former actress refused to be in an episode of 'Baywatch' that spotlighted Marine World.
The animal lover, who's been a vegan since 2010, revealed in an interview with Peta that she stipulated in her acting contracts that she would not wear makeup that was "tested on animals."
In the same Q&A, she also shared: "Baywatch had a product placement deal with Johnson & Johnson, but the props department knew I would not tolerate having any of their products on my character’s desk."
The Christine actress added that she asked to be "written out" of an episode about Marine World "since they depicted that horrible place as fun with happy animals in it."
