Case Report

Four men, including three from North County, were arrested Thursday in connection with holding dogfights that involved dozens of pit bulls and other breeds in a bloody sport that can lead to the animal's death, authorities said.  

Brian Murty, Dennis Murty and Raymond Baumgartner were arrested in two separate raids at around 9 a.m. at homes in San Marcos and Rainbow, said Lt. John Carlson of the San Diego Department of Animal Control.

Also on Thursday morning, Jesse Rasheed Kelly, 30, of Encanto surrendered at his Swan Street home on suspicion of seven felonies related to dogfighting and animal neglect.

The North County men were taken into custody and four pit bulls were seized when animal control agents, armed with search warrants, raided the properties, Carlson said. Brian Murty, 26, of Rainbow was arrested at his father's home in the 500 block of Tamarisk Lane in San Marcos.

His brother Dennis, 33, and Baumgartner, 18, were arrested at a home in the 2500 block of Rainbow Lane in Rainbow, Carlson said. Marijuana and PCP were found at both locations.

All three are charged with felony dogfighting and are likely to face drug charges as well, Carlson said. Dennis Murty faces the most charges, including 22 counts of possession or training of dogs to fight.

"I know he just raises them and that's that," Brian Murty's father, Dennis, said of a his son during an interview hours after the arrest. "He loves any kind of dogs."

The elder Dennis Murty said his son, a mobile home construction worker, would bring pit bulls occasionally to his San Marcos home.

Carlson said authorities received information leading to Thursday's arrest from a raid on April 10, where 20 living and one dead pit bull were seized from another home on Rainbow Glen Road in Rainbow. Agents found a dog buried in a shallow grave, fighting pits and dog blood on the premises.

The Murty brothers and Baumgartner are being investigated in connection with that operation. Brian Murty was mauled by his pit bull on April 10 and suffered major lacerations in his mouth and nose area, the lieutenant said.

During Thursday's East County raid, county Department of Animal Services personnel impounded 17 pit bulls and an ailing Dalmatian, Carlson said.

"The arrest followed an initial investigation Tuesday by county animal control officers into reports of an injured Dalmatian tethered in the front yard of the home," he added.

They then got a search warrant and allegedly found evidence of dogfighting activity at the eastern San Diego residence.

Dogfighting, Carlson said, is a clandestine activity that occurs from time to time in San Diego County. The animals are tied to chains that are staked to the ground and kept in close proximity to each other to agitate them and breed aggression.

"(The dogs) usually fight until one dies, completely gives up or runs away," he said. "It is not at all uncommon for a dog to have serious injuries and continue to fight. It's a brutal sport."

Dog fighting venues, Carlson said, are commonly associated with other vices such as gambling, prostitution and drugs.

"The fights are often bet on," he said. "It can be big money."

A dogfighting conviction can result in up to 3 years in prison or a $50,000 fine, or both.

Carlson said the 24 dogs seized Thursday from the North County and Encanto raids are being kept at an undisclosed location to protect them for other potential dog fighters. Most of them are injured with bite marks and scars.

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