PLEASANTON--Three men accused of torturing a pig at the Alameda County Fair will appear together in court for the first time Aug. 31.

Cody Paradero, 22, of Livermore, the third suspect to be arraigned in the case, appeared Thursday in Judge Hugh Walker's courtroom to face charges of public intoxication and animal cruelty.

"Oh, good. We've got all three of you," Walker said during Paradero's brief appearance. "You're lucky you got arrested first. Those ranchers and cowboys would have strung you up behind the barn."

Paradero, along with codefendants James Anthony Horn, 22, and Kyle Flapan, 24, -- dubbed "the pig harassers" by Walker -- were arrested at 7:50 p.m. July 3 in the fair's barn area by an Alameda County Sheriff's deputy. Witnesses said the men hit the 6-month-old pig on the head and buttocks and pulled its ears and tail, according to court records.

The owner of the Yorkshire pig told investigators that she washed the pig and saw several hand slap prints on the pig's buttocks and back. Witnesses also told the sheriff's deputy that the men were trying to get a reaction out of the pig.

The sheriff's deputy wrote in his report he could smell alcohol on the mens' breath and that they denied striking the pig. The report also shows Paradero denying the accusation by saying, "I'm vegan, I don't eat pork."

The mens' blood alcohol level were all well above the legal limit, according to court records.

The codefendants,

Staff writer Robert Jordan contributed to this story. Contact Erin Ivie at 925-847-2122. Follow her at Twitter.com/erin_ivie.