Dog-fighting - 12 dogs seized Flint, MI (US) Incident Date: Sunday, Aug 6, 2006 County: Genesee Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Charges: Felony CTA Abusers/Suspects: » Nigel L. Swain » Rodney L. Knapp Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

Case ID: 10280 Classification: Fighting Animal: dog (pit-bull) View more cases in MI (US) Login to Watch this Case

Fresh blood soaked the carpet and stained the plywood walls of a makeshift dog-fighting ring found inside a Flint garage.

Nine of the dozen pit bulls found near the scene had either fresh wounds or evidence of recent fights.

One dog, likely the loser of an earlier fight that evening, was found by police locked in the trunk of someone's vehicle. It had injuries over its entire body.

After hearing that and other evidence at a hearing this week, Flint District Judge William H. Crawford II ordered two men to stand trial on charges relating to a dog-fighting ring.

Nigel L. Swain, 26, and Rodney L. Knapp, 51, face Jan. 8 circuit court arraignments before Genesee Circuit Judge Richard B. Yuille.

Swain, who was represented by attorney Henry Clark Jr., is charged with attending an animal fight, a 4-year felony, while Knapp is charged with animal fighting and possessing animal fighting equipment, both 4-year felonies, and felony firearm.

The incident occurred Aug. 6 when police were called to Knapp's residence at 5417 Laurene St., near W. Mott Avenue, about 1 a.m.

Police told assistant Genesee County Prosecutor Janet McLaren that they found nearly 30 cars parked near the residence. When they shined their flashlights toward the garage, police said about 30 people bolted from it.

Police said Swain had fresh blood on his pants. Knapp was seen walking from the garage and denied having any dogs in it.

Knapp is represented by attorney Martin Levois.

Inside the garage, police found a 12-foot-by-12-foot portable pen, set up with plywood and carpeting. Those items were covered with blood, police said.

Police found two injured pit bulls inside with injuries often found on dogs that have been fighting. Other animals were located outside in the vehicles, they said. Three pit bulls were found in Knapp's backyard.

Police also found a handgun in Knapp's garage.

They also found treadmills and other "exercise" equipment used to train dogs to fight, including a contraption that makes a dog cling to a rope or risk falling from a great height, often used to build up the animal's jaw strength for clamping down on its opponent.

Some of the animals were treated at the Genesee Animal Control Department shelter in Flint. All the animals were confiscated.

Case Updates

Neighborhood Map

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Back to Top

Add this case to:

Del.icio.us

|

Digg

|

Furl

|

References

Flint Journal - Dec 8, 2006

« MI State Animal Cruelty Map

Not sure what these icons mean? Click here.

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.