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CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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When you vote, you are voting on whether or not the punishment fit the crime, NOT on the severity of the case itself. If you feel the sentence was very weak, you would vote 1 star. If you feel the sentence was very strong, you would vote 5 stars.
Please vote honestly and realistically. These ratings will be used a a tool for many future programs, including a "Peoples Choice" of best and worst sentencing, DA and judge "report cards", and more. Try to resist the temptation to vote 1 star on every case, even if you feel that 100 years in prison isnt enough.
Case #15996 Rating: 3.4 out of 5
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009
County: Hampton City
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Tyrik Clarence Cain
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Hampton Police, with the help of Hampton and Chesapeake Animal Control Officers, arrested an 18-year-old man in connection with dogfighting.
Police say they secured a search warrant for a home in the 800 blk. of W. Queen Street. Seven Pit Bull dogs were seized from the property and taken to a local veterinarian for treatment and evaluation, Cpl. Paula Ensley told WAVY.com.
Tyrik Clarence Cain, 18, of Hampton, was charged with Possession of Marijuana with the Intent to Distribute, one count of Animal Cruelty and one count of Organized Dogfighting.
Neighbors said they're not surprised by the charges, although they never saw Cain mistreat the animals.
A woman identifying herself as Cain's grandmother answered the door as his address.
When asked if she was aware of Cain's involvement in dogfighting, she responded, "If I knew, he wouldn've have done it."
And when asked twice what she thought he did with the dogs, she repeated, "He's not home."
An investigation is ongoing. Further information will be released as it becomes available.
Case Updates
A 19-year-old was sentenced to four years in prison this week for dogfighting.
Tyrik Clarence Cain was charged in March with animal cruelty, organized dogfighting and possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.
Cain, of the 800 block of West Queen Street, was sentenced on Tuesday to four years, with an additional 12 years suspended. State sentencing guidelines call for one day to three months for the dogfighting charge.
Police served a search warrant on Cain's home in March and found five pit bulls, which they seized and took to a local vet for treatment. Police also found magazines and Internet print-outs depicting dogfighting and letters addressed to Cain that discussed dogfighting.
Dogfighting journals, hypodermic needles and other items associated with dogfighting were found in the home, according to a statement from the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office that was read during Cain's Oct. 26 hearing.
Officers also found five pit bulls chained in the backyard. Each dog had a water bowl within reach, but several of the bowls contained greenish or brown-tinted water, and several of the bowls were empty.
In the back corner of a vacant lot next door, officers found hundreds of bones thought to have been from dogs �" both in plain view and shallowly buried, according to the statement.
During the hearing, the Commonwealth's Attorney Office stated that Cain admitted to fighting the dogs that were kept on his property. Cain explained that he had fought dogs on several occasions and shared the dogs' bloodlines, how he trains the dogs and how he learned of and hosted dog fights, according to the statement, which also said Cain admitted that the bones found near his home were the remains of dead dogs he buried there.
During the investigation, an informant told police that Cain trained his dogs in the backyard of his home and that he had seen one of the pit bulls fight.
Cain on Oct. 26 entered an Alford plea, which is when someone maintains his or her innocence but acknowledges that there is enough evidence for a conviction.
According to a June 16, 2009 press release by the Hampton Police Department, Cain was been charged with 1 count of Malicious Wounding and 1 count of Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony for a June 13, 2009 incident. |
Source: Daily Press - Dec 23, 2009
Update posted on Dec 24, 2009 - 12:35AM |
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