Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Peter Erdely | | Defense(s): | William T. Cannon | | Judge(s): | Glenn B. Bronson |
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Case #14884 Rating: 1.7 out of 5
Dog-fighting - 4 dogs, guns, drugs, cash seized
Philadelphia, PA (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Nov 13, 2008
County: Philadelphia
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 3 files available
Defendant/Suspect: John D. Taliaferro-Bertalomue
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
When Philadelphia police raided the home on the 3500 block of Kip Street in the city's West Kensington section on the morning of November 13th, they got more than they bargained for. They came looking for drugs and uncovered the makings of a dogfighting operation.
"It appears as though these dogs were trained and fought here," said SPCA Humane Law Officer Elizabeth Sorel.
The SPCA found several dogs chained up in the basement along with a dog treadmill, used to train fighting dogs, and thick chains. "We found a fighting ring that was actually nailed into a plank coming out of the basement. Sawdust, tons of injectables, syringes," Sorel reported.
The SPCA said the dogs were in bad shape. "They found four dogs inside, the dogs were thin, they were scarred up. They found a ton of fighting paraphernalia," said Sorel.
According to police, John Taliaferro was arrested with $4500 worth of marijuana, seven guns and some cash. They said he has 18 prior arrests.
Court records said Taliaferro was one of 80 defendants charged in connection with a dogfighting and gambling raid back in April 2000. The case was dropped. He now faces serious charges.
"It looks like we'll be able to charge him with at least five counts of felony dogfighting, one for each of the dogs, which would be possession of fighting dogs," said Sorel.
SPCA investigators dug up Taliaferro's front yard after tipsters told them several dead dogs may be buried there. They found some bones which they took away for examination. "According to some of the neighbors, this guy's been burying dogs that have either died losing fights or have been killed for losing fights in the front yard," said Sorel.
The dogs seized at the home were taken to SPCA headquarters for treatment and evaluation."These dogs were aggressive. I think it's unlikely that they will be adoptable," said Sorel.
Investigators reportedly found one dog in the owner's bedroom named "King John."
They also discovered a Michael Vick football jersey in the owner's bedroom. Atlanta Falcons star quarterback Michael Vick was jailed on dog fighting related charges 18 months ago.
Case UpdatesJohn Taliaferro was insistent. The four pit bulls chained in the basement of his Kip Street rowhouse in Kensington were not for fighting, but old dogs he had saved and was retraining.
The Philadelphia Common Pleas Court jury did not believe him at his trial in March, and Judge Glenn B. Bronson said Wednesday that he did not, either, sentencing the 63-year-old to five to 10 years in prison.
"You don't seem to recognize the unlawfulness of this conduct," Bronson told Taliaferro. "This is an extreme form of animal cruelty that should not be tolerated by a civilized society, and this court will not tolerate it."
Taliaferro, reputedly once a Humane Society member, was convicted of four counts of animal fighting and a firearm charge involving two loaded handguns hidden under his mattress.
Taliaferro said he had never taken the guns out of the house and maintained that his wife had inherited both - plus a box full of long guns removed from the home - with their house.
Bronson, however, said he found it hard to believe that someone with Taliaferro's "astonishing criminal record" - 33 arrests and 14 convictions from 1967 to 1994 for burglary, receipt of stolen property, and assault - did not know he was not permitted to have guns.
Taliaferro was arrested in November 2008 after police searched his house, believing he was selling drugs, according to Assistant District Attorney Peter Erdely.
Instead, police found the dogs, tickets for sale, dogfighting paraphernalia, and literature and medicine for treating wounded dogs.
Officials of the Pennsylvania SPCA, which took custody of the dogs, testified at the trial that the four had been malnourished and had old and recent fighting scars covering their faces.
Taliaferro had been arrested in 2000 during a raid on a dogfight in a North Philadelphia garage, but a jury acquitted him of animal-cruelty charges.
Defense attorney William T. Cannon argued that though Taliaferro had exhibited the dogs in competitions, "he was not involved in any criminal activity."
"Dogs were his life. He really loves these kinds of dogs," Cannon told the judge. "Some people may be golfers . . . but for John Taliaferro it is raising and training these dogs."
Taliaferro said the dogs had been chained only to keep them apart and prevent them from fighting while they were being retrained.
Erdely asked Bronson to impose consecutive sentences on the five counts for a total prison term of 13 to 26 years, citing Taliaferro's criminal record and "total lack of remorse."
Bronson, however, told Taliaferro that Erdely's recommendation would be "a life sentence. I don't think that's appropriate for what you did." | Source: philly.com - May 5, 2011
Update posted on May 5, 2011 - 6:24PM |
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