Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Dog-fighting - over 30 dogs seized

Cruelty Database » Case Details

Case Snapshot

Case ID: 10308

Classification: Fighting

View more cases in FL (US)

Login to Watch this Case

Images for this Case

all 3 media files »

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

Dog-fighting - over 30 dogs seized
Apopka, FL (US)

Incident Date: Sunday, Dec 10, 2006
County: Orange

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 3 files available

Defendants/Suspects:
» Calva Leonard James Haskell
» Lafayette Norrell Dowdell
» Cynthia Thomas-Lee - Not Charged
» Herbert A. Dixon
» Benjamin Ponder
» Darnell B. Thompson
» Dennis Curtis Thomas
» Larry Leon McDuffie
» Lashay K. Nichols - Not Charged
» Keith Quenell Selder

Case Updates: 6 update(s) available

Several people are facing charges after deputies say they broke up a dog fighting ring. Neighbors called to complain about the operation on Dec 10 at Highland Avenue and 16th street. Deputies say once they arrived they found a driveway full of cars and dozens of pit bull dogs as well as a fighting ring in the backyard. Investigators say several of the 31 dogs seized had injuries and its clear what was going on at the home.

"They've been fighting dogs out here. There's dogs out here close to the pit area we found as well. We're talking to some people, potential suspects and some arrests are pending, " said Sgt. Richard Hosier with the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Nine cars that were parked at the house were also taken away by deputies. Investigators say they're not yet sure just how many people may have been involved.

Case Updates

According to court records, Herbert Dixon, Dennis Thomas, Keith Selder, Benjamin Ponder, and Larry McDuffie all entered pleas of nolo contendere to felony charges of fighting and baiting animals on October 15, 2007. Several other charges were dismissed as part of their plea agreements. On October 17th, Calva Haskell was convicted under a similar plea bargain. Darnell Thompson pled to the same charge on November 20, 2007. Sentencing information is not available at this time.

Source: Orange County Clerk of Courts Case #07-CF-0006415
Update posted on May 27, 2008 - 4:27PM

Back to Top

A discarded skull shows what happens to the losers at pitbull fights in south Apopka. The collection of bones including ribs and femurs came from last December's raid that sent spectators and "breeders" fleeing into woods ahead of Orange County deputies.

"These dogs are trained from a young age to be aggressive," Detective Rick Broxton said today, announcing a series of arrests in Central Florida's largest dogfighting case ever. "These are not your usual household pets."

On Tuesday, deputies began arresting 10 men who abandoned their cars and trucks near a blood-stained fighting pit in the woods off 15th Street.

Five of the suspects remained at large today.

In the days after the raid, county Animal Services seized nearly 70 pitbulls from three different homes near a blood-stained fighting pit off 15th Street.

"Unfortunately, we were only able to save three puppies," said Animal Services spokeswoman Vanessa Bouffard. "We had to euthanize 62 of them. Two were in such bad shape they died in our kennels."

Almost all of the pit bull-mix dogs were underweight and showed old scars and fresh bite wounds. Deputies noted that some of the dogs also had sharpened toe nails.

"These dogs were actually very friendly toward our staff," Brouffard said. "They would eat treats right off my hand but as soon as you got any other dog near them... they would rush their cages with their teeth out."

The arrests so far include Herbert Dixon of Sanford, who twice before has been charged with cruelty to animals and dogfighting, records show.

Dixon went to court after the raid in an unsuccessful attempt to win the release of two dogs he had left in his abandoned vehicle. Broxton said a civil court judge handling the case ordered Dixon to never again own a dog.

Source: Orlando Sentinel - May 2, 2007
Update posted on May 2, 2007 - 10:25PM

Back to Top

Authorities raided an alleged dog-fighting ring that officials said used the animals for illegal gambling.

Five of the 10 suspects in the case have been arrested, including Calva Haskell, Lafayette Dowdell, and Cynthia Lee, officials said.

The case first came to light last December when authorities were called to a home in Apopka in Orange County, WESH 2 News reported. There authorities said they found aggressive pit bull-mixed breed dogs, and behind the home on South Highland Avenue, they said they found a bloody fight ring and evidence of gambling.

After five months on the case, deputies said they made the arrests on charges of felony animal cruelty and fighting or baiting animals to fight. Authorities said they were stunned by the terrible treatment of the dogs.

Source: WESH via Yahoo News - May 2, 2007
Update posted on May 2, 2007 - 8:40PM

Back to Top

Orange County deputies said they've taken a major bite out of a dog-fighting ring in Apopka with five arrests. They raided a house on Highland Avenue last December and found evidence of the dog-fighting ring, but no one was arrested, until Tuesday night.

Orange County sheriff deputies said in the woods behind a house is where that dog fight took place back in December. When deputies pulled up, everyone ran. Wednesday, five people were facing felony charges for the dog fight and five others have warrants out for their arrest ranging from animal cruelty to breeding and transporting animals for the purpose of fighting.

"There's a lot of gambling involved with dog fighting," said Det. Rick Broxton of the Orange County Sheriff's Office. He also said that the dogs fight to see which is the most dominant dog. That dog is then bred so the owners can sell puppies to people who want an aggressive dog.

Animal Services took the dogs. They said some of them were in pretty bad condition with fight wounds and probably too aggressive to adopt out. Most of them were pit-bull mixes.

Source: Officer.Com - May 2, 2007
Update posted on May 2, 2007 - 8:28PM

Back to Top

Three weeks ago, Orange County detectives discovered dozens of dogs bloodied, beaten and brought up to fight in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

Investigators said nearly 70 dogs were tortured, mauled and bitten, all in the name of sport.

They're now out of harm's way and doing much better, but the people who raised the dogs to be fighters are still out there and no one has been arrested, WESH 2 News reported.

"How can you look at a face like that and not feel sorry for it?" said Vanessa Bouffard of Orange County Animal Services.

The puppy, along with nearly 70 other dogs, has been at the Orange County Animal Shelter for weeks as part of a dog-fighting ring round-up.

Most are doing much better.

"They're in pretty good condition, they're getting fed," Bouffard said. "We're just trying to make sure they're happy while they're here. Once we can get custody of the animals, we can decide if any of them will be adopted out."

But a handful of others had to be put down.

The addition of so many dogs has left the Orange County shelter overwhelmed.

"It's making the work harder on our staff, to clean up after the animals, feed them, making sure they don't come in contact with each other so they don't start fighting," Bouffard said.

Three weeks ago, Animal Control hauled the dogs off, bleeding and too scared to move, from a home in Apopka where authorities said they were kept and bred as fighting dogs.

Officials said they were abused and mistreated, and investigators said they found a blood-stained ring where the dogs would battle, many of them to the death.

Investigators said the owners would then burn the dogs that died. Their bones and skulls were found littering nearby woods.

Although they're on the road to recovery, there's no guarantee all of the dogs at the shelter will make it. Some others may still have to be put to sleep.

Investigators believe the dogs are part of a larger dog-fighting ring in Central Florida. They've identified several of the owners, but so far, there have been no arrests.

If they are caught, they will face felony charges.

The dogs still have a long road to recovery. Those that can be adopted out will be.

Source: WESH - Jan 2, 2007
Update posted on Jan 4, 2007 - 12:33AM

Back to Top

For the second time in two days, Orange County deputies rescued numerous dogs from a suspected dog-fighting ring. Deputies found 23 dogs at a home in Apopka on Monday afternoon.

Sunday night, 31 dogs were seized from another suspected dog-fighting ring in Apopka. Several people took off when cops showed up Sunday night. No one has been charged, but the sheriff's office said it's only a matter of time.

The animals brought into Animal Services were in pretty good shape. Some of them have old scars and some of them are just a few months old. The sheriff's office said the latest round up is directly connected to Sunday's dog seizure.

The dogs at Animal Services came from a home on 18th Street in Apopka. Orange County deputies took nearly two dozen pit bulls and pit bull mixes from the home Monday. They got their lead from a vehicle left behind in another pit bull seizure, Sunday. That's when deputies broke up what they believe to be a dog-fighting ring, although neighbors disagree.

Some of the removed dogs were a little on the thin side, but the vet looking after them said he didn't see any fresh wounds on the dogs, that ranged in age from puppies to adults. But deputies said they did find something on the 18th Street property consistent with an animal fighting ring.

So far, no one's been charges in connection to either Sunday's or Monday's dog seizures and the question remains, what happens to all the dogs?

"What we're looking at doing is getting custody of the animals, either for the owners to surrender the animals to us or for us to petition the court so we can have the animals here and figure out if we can adopt them out or what we are going to be able to do with the animals," explained Vanessa Bouffard, Orange County Animal Services.

As you might imagine, adding 54 dogs to the mix puts a strain on resources. Animal Services is housing each of the confiscated pit bulls alone. That means the animals eligible for adoption are being double and tripled up, so Animal Services would like to clear ownership of the dogs as soon as possible.

Source: WFTV - Dec 11, 2006
Update posted on Dec 12, 2006 - 1:25PM

Back to Top

References

- Dec 12, 2006

« FL 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.

Site Map ¤ Disclaimer ¤ Privacy Policy

Dog-fighting - over 30 dogs seizedApopka, FL (US)

Case Updates

References

Dog-fighting - over 30 dogs seized
Apopka, FL (US)