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Authorities bust major dog fighting ring
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| Authorities raid a house on Mayhaw where a dog-fighting ring was allegedly being held. |
By MATT HOLLIS
Members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team busted down the doors of some houses on Nov. 14 in five counties looking for suspects of an alleged dog-fighting ring. This included some houses in the North Channel area. It is believed to be one of the largest dog-fighting rings in the United States.
More than 100 pit bulls were seized and eight people were arrested as part of a statewide investigation that involved several state agencies working together to bust up the ring. The counties include Harris, Montgomery, Matagorda, Tyler and Jasper.
“It took a lot of coordination,” said Lisa Block, Department of Public Safety spokesperson. “And it worked out successfully in this case.”
According to Block, the Texas Department of Public Safety's Criminal Intelligence Service headed the raids and worked with other agencies and individuals for 17 months to find members of the dog-fighting ring. These include the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General (OIG), and the county's Public Health and Environmental Services, Houston Humane Society, County Precincts 1 and 5 Constables' Offices, the Office of Precinct 3 County Commissioner Steve Radack and Harris County District Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Assistant District Attorneys Belinda Smith and Stephen St. Martin also worked on the case.
One raid was conducted at a house in the 1200 block of Mayhaw and another on Garber Road in the North Channel area.
Meera Nandlal, Houston SPCA manager of public relations, said that in Tyler there were 61 dogs confiscated.
“We found dogs tied up in chains a treadmill and videos identifying a different dog fight,” she said. “We also found the charred skeleton of a dog.”
Nandlal said the dogs would be put through rehabilitation tests and the courts will decide what should be done with them.
Block said 187 dogs were seized in the raids. The dogs, Block said, were taken to an undisclosed location where they are being examined.
“A judge will determine what will happen to the dogs,” Block said.
In addition to the eight people arrested in the raids, authorities are still looking for 47 other suspects. The eight people arrested are Robert Lee Rogers of Cloverleaf, 38; William Marquis Stanforth of Channelview, 31; Benjamin Stanforth of Houston, 30; Donald Woods of Houston, 41; Jay Andrews of Houston, 37; Ellis Island of Channelview, 45; Harold Jeffery of Houston, 36; and Kevin Rogers of Cloverleaf, 28. All were charged with engaging in dog fighting, which carries a sentence of up to two years in the state jail. Block said there are 41 charges of engaging in dog-fighting as well as possible drug charges. She also said there are 45 charges for a Class A Misdemeanor for those who were just spectators. They could face a year in jail and $4,000 in fines. One of the suspects arrested is identified as a schoolteacher.
Woods and Island appeared in court on Nov. 18. Prosecutors said undercover agents paid him $1,500 for a puppy to be used in dog fighting. Prosecutors also said Woods set up a dogfight where spectators placed bets of up to $5,000.
“People would place bets on each dog fight,” Block said. “Several thousands of dollars were placed on a fight with anywhere from 15 to 100 people attending. In some fights, they would bet tens of thousands of dollars.”
Block said people would find out about the fights through word of mouth and that they were held in secluded locations, making it difficult to find.
“Most of the dogs were pit bulls,” Block said. “Others were mixed breeds.”
Block said they were able to infiltrate the ring thanks to an outside tip and that undercover DPS agents had attended dozens of dogfights. She said they also obtained evidence suggesting that heavy drug trafficking and theft are also involved.
Agents discovered that many of the dogs were being bred with the purpose of increasing their inclination toward erratic and violent behavior.
“A lot of time and effort was put into the training of these dogs,” said Block.
“It’s such a huge underground subculture,” St. Martin said. “I hate to use the word ‘sport,’ but they think of it as a sport like horse racing. They even have rules for it such as having the fighting ring measure so much.”
St. Martin said dog fighting has different levels.
“On the third tier, it’s like two guys are on the street and one says my dog is better than yours and they go fight,” he said. “On the second tier, they start to breed and train the dogs to fight. Some betting starts at that level. On the first tier, that is when they start to treat these dogs like professional athletes. They watch the bloodline, put them on diets, and have them go through routines before they fight. They do not always fight to the death, as most believe. They invest too much money in them for that.”
The DPS agency hopes that Friday’s busts will prevent the disturbing dog-fighting trend, which seems to be growing in popularity.
“Many people in Texas still believe that dog fighting is entertainment. We are here to tell you that it is not entertainment, it’s a crime,” Block added.
Seven other suspects are currently being held in Harris County jail.
More than 100 pit bulls were seized and eight people were arrested as part of a statewide investigation that involved several state agencies working together to bust up the ring. The counties include Harris, Montgomery, Matagorda, Tyler and Jasper.
“It took a lot of coordination,” said Lisa Block, Department of Public Safety spokesperson. “And it worked out successfully in this case.”
According to Block, the Texas Department of Public Safety's Criminal Intelligence Service headed the raids and worked with other agencies and individuals for 17 months to find members of the dog-fighting ring. These include the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General (OIG), and the county's Public Health and Environmental Services, Houston Humane Society, County Precincts 1 and 5 Constables' Offices, the Office of Precinct 3 County Commissioner Steve Radack and Harris County District Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Assistant District Attorneys Belinda Smith and Stephen St. Martin also worked on the case.
One raid was conducted at a house in the 1200 block of Mayhaw and another on Garber Road in the North Channel area.
Meera Nandlal, Houston SPCA manager of public relations, said that in Tyler there were 61 dogs confiscated.
“We found dogs tied up in chains a treadmill and videos identifying a different dog fight,” she said. “We also found the charred skeleton of a dog.”
Nandlal said the dogs would be put through rehabilitation tests and the courts will decide what should be done with them.
Block said 187 dogs were seized in the raids. The dogs, Block said, were taken to an undisclosed location where they are being examined.
“A judge will determine what will happen to the dogs,” Block said.
In addition to the eight people arrested in the raids, authorities are still looking for 47 other suspects. The eight people arrested are Robert Lee Rogers of Cloverleaf, 38; William Marquis Stanforth of Channelview, 31; Benjamin Stanforth of Houston, 30; Donald Woods of Houston, 41; Jay Andrews of Houston, 37; Ellis Island of Channelview, 45; Harold Jeffery of Houston, 36; and Kevin Rogers of Cloverleaf, 28. All were charged with engaging in dog fighting, which carries a sentence of up to two years in the state jail. Block said there are 41 charges of engaging in dog-fighting as well as possible drug charges. She also said there are 45 charges for a Class A Misdemeanor for those who were just spectators. They could face a year in jail and $4,000 in fines. One of the suspects arrested is identified as a schoolteacher.
Woods and Island appeared in court on Nov. 18. Prosecutors said undercover agents paid him $1,500 for a puppy to be used in dog fighting. Prosecutors also said Woods set up a dogfight where spectators placed bets of up to $5,000.
“People would place bets on each dog fight,” Block said. “Several thousands of dollars were placed on a fight with anywhere from 15 to 100 people attending. In some fights, they would bet tens of thousands of dollars.”
Block said people would find out about the fights through word of mouth and that they were held in secluded locations, making it difficult to find.
“Most of the dogs were pit bulls,” Block said. “Others were mixed breeds.”
Block said they were able to infiltrate the ring thanks to an outside tip and that undercover DPS agents had attended dozens of dogfights. She said they also obtained evidence suggesting that heavy drug trafficking and theft are also involved.
Agents discovered that many of the dogs were being bred with the purpose of increasing their inclination toward erratic and violent behavior.
“A lot of time and effort was put into the training of these dogs,” said Block.
“It’s such a huge underground subculture,” St. Martin said. “I hate to use the word ‘sport,’ but they think of it as a sport like horse racing. They even have rules for it such as having the fighting ring measure so much.”
St. Martin said dog fighting has different levels.
“On the third tier, it’s like two guys are on the street and one says my dog is better than yours and they go fight,” he said. “On the second tier, they start to breed and train the dogs to fight. Some betting starts at that level. On the first tier, that is when they start to treat these dogs like professional athletes. They watch the bloodline, put them on diets, and have them go through routines before they fight. They do not always fight to the death, as most believe. They invest too much money in them for that.”
The DPS agency hopes that Friday’s busts will prevent the disturbing dog-fighting trend, which seems to be growing in popularity.
“Many people in Texas still believe that dog fighting is entertainment. We are here to tell you that it is not entertainment, it’s a crime,” Block added.
Seven other suspects are currently being held in Harris County jail.
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nkimich wrote on Nov 21, 2008 2:56 PM:
I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY FAIR. "