Dog-fighting - 2 dogs, guns seized
Chicago, IL (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Nov 15, 2008
County: Cook

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted

Defendants/Suspects:
» Donaver Jones
» Melvin Trent
» Timothy Norris

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

A monthlong investigation couldn't prepare Cook County sheriff's police for the unsettling scene they say they found upon breaking up a dogfight Saturday.

A severely mauled dog cowered in the corner, so injured it could barely stand. The makeshift ring covered in blood. And 50 people-including two teenagers and a pregnant woman- in attendance, police said.

"What we interrupted Saturday night was both disgusting and disturbing," Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart said in a statement. "So many times, we hear about fights after the fact or find the discarded remains of a dog involved in one of these fights."

Donaver Jones, 38, of Riverdale; Melvin Trent, 37, of Joliet; and Timothy Norris, 35, of Joliet were charged Sunday with felony dogfighting for a match that took place in the basement of a home in the 500 block of West 66th Street in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, authorities said.

Another 50 people, including boys, 13 and 15, and the pregnant woman, also were charged with attending a dogfight, a misdemeanor.

The arrests marked the first time the sheriff's police have busted a fight in progress.

Authorities swept into the basement about 10 p.m. Saturday to find a bloodied 10-by-10-foot makeshift ring surrounded by 3-foot boards smeared with blood, bites and scratches. The floor of the ring was covered with a red rug that police said was used to disguise blood.

Police found one dog injured so badly it had to be carried away on a stretcher, and authorities do not expect it to survive. The other dog was taken to a local shelter.

Officers confiscated a tackle box filled with steroids, amphetamines, syringes and an IV drip. They also found a staple gun used to close wounds so the dogs could keep fighting, as well as thick wooden stakes used to drive apart the dogs' jaws after they had locked down on the other dog.

Police recovered three 9 mm handguns and towed two cars that had dog cages and fighting manuals inside, the sheriff's office said.

The dogs were bred and trained for fighting, authorities said. They were hung from a scale attached to the basement ceiling and thrown into the ring. Police estimated the dogs had been fighting for about 15 minutes before officers arrived.

Police said the two children were released to their parents.

Case Updates

References

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