Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Owner of stolen cow accused of threatening local sanctuary owner

Ryan Phillips spends his days spreading veganism around Greater Williamsburg with his three little pigs. (Alexa Doiron/WYDaily)
Ryan Phillips spends his days promoting veganism around Greater Williamsburg with his three little pigs. (Alexa Doiron/WYDaily)

A Maryland farmer whose cow was stolen and brought to an animal sanctuary in Williamsburg is now accused of threatening the sanctuary’s owner.

“Life with Pigs” owner Ryan Phillips has filed a criminal complaint against 57-year-old Anthony Scott Braglio for “profane, threatening or indecent language over public airways or by other means.”

The allegation stems from a phone call that Phillips secretly recorded after Baltimore County, Maryland, police recovered the stolen calf in May.

Phillips and others have accused Braglio Farms of neglecting the calf; Baltimore County investigated and found no such evidence.

Two women are charged with stealing the cow. Now James City County police say the commonwealth’s attorney is reviewing Phillips’ complaint against Braglio.

John Mangalonzo
John Mangalonzohttp://wydaily.com
John Mangalonzo (john@localdailymedia.com) is the managing editor of Local Voice Media’s Virginia papers – WYDaily (Williamsburg), Southside Daily (Virginia Beach) and HNNDaily (Hampton-Newport News). Before coming to Local Voice, John was the senior content editor of The Bellingham Herald, a McClatchy newspaper in Washington state. Previously, he served as city editor/content strategist for USA Today Network newsrooms in St. George and Cedar City, Utah. John started his professional journalism career shortly after graduating from Lyceum of The Philippines University in 1990. As a rookie reporter for a national newspaper in Manila that year, John was assigned to cover four of the most dangerous cities in Metro Manila. Later that year, John was transferred to cover the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines. He spent the latter part of 1990 to early 1992 embedded with troopers in the southern Philippines as they fought with communist rebels and Muslim extremists. His U.S. journalism career includes reporting and editing stints for newspapers and other media outlets in New York City, California, Texas, Iowa, Utah, Colorado and Washington state.

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