A national animal-rights organization this week issued checks of $2,500 as a reward for three informants who helped police last year nab seven young men who killed more than 1,200 turkeys in Sanpete County. The checks on Thursday were in the possession of the Sanpete County attorney's office, which will distribute them to the informants, said Brody Keisel, a deputy county attorney. "It was money well-spent," said Stephanie Bell, a caseworker for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), based in Virginia. On Feb. 8, 2004, seven men wielding tree branches trespassed onto a turkey farm near Fountain Green and began beating the animals. Some turkeys died of blunt trauma, others from heart attacks. Four of the perpetrators - Cody Long, 23; Colton Belliston, 20; Travis Argyle, 19, and Martin Smith, 19 - were ordered to complete 18 months on probation, obtain mental health counseling and pay $2,100 in restitution. Also prosecuted in the killings were three juvenile boys. Bell said it is important to prosecute animal abusers because they can become violent toward society. - Brent Israelsen