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Case #10669 Rating: 3.0 out of 5
Dog-fighting - 26 dogs seized
Houston, TX (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Feb 1, 2007
County: Harris
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Ronald Munerlyn
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Twenty-six pit bulls, some with fresh scars or wounds from dogfighting, were seized by the Houston SPCA on Feb 1 evening from a property in northwest Harris County.
Accompanied by deputies from Harris County Precinct 1, the SPCA seized the pit bulls from a site in the 6400 block of Chippewa. The animals were in poor physical condition, said Heidi Brasher a spokeswoman for the Houston SPCA.
"Some of them are inadequate body weight, some show scars from old bites, some have fresh injuries from recent fights," Brasher said. "None of the animals had access to fresh water, some had chains that were too short.
"Over all, it was pretty rough conditions for these animals," she said.
Brasher said the organization obtained a warrant to seize the animals after a two-week investigation.
The property also had "paraphernalia" that appeared to be related to dog-fighting, she said.
That equipment included treadmills for exercising dogs, "portable dogfighting rings, and big carpet squares with large patches of dried blood that were apparently used as the floor for those rings," Brasher said.
There were no arrests associated with the seizure of the animals Thursday.
Brasher said the dogs will remain in the care of the SPCA for 10 days, until the agency goes to court. She said a judge will determine the fate of the animals.
"This is rough for us," Brasher said. "Some people see dogfighting as a sport, and we see it as a crime and Texas law makes it a crime. So, we spend a lot of time trying to educate the public that this is animal cruelty and it is against the law."
Case UpdatesMinutes after being found guilty of animal cruelty and dogfighting, the defendant admitted that he trained his pit bulls to fight and kept them in deplorable conditions.
Ronald Munerlyn, 48, during questioning by Harris County prosecutor Eric Bily, told jurors during the punishment phase that he had taken his dogs to "school" to see if they had "game." He said he had been offered $40,000 for one such dog, "Demon, but he declined to sell.
Munerlyn apologized to the jury for his actions.
"It's the same as a boxer, you have to practice. I did it for sport, pleasure. The schooling is waking them up," he told the court. "You bring them together for about three or four minutes, then you take them home mad."
"You pick through the litter; the weaker puppies you sell out," Munerlyn said.
Munerlyn was sentenced by County Criminal Court Judge Margaret S. Harris to 28 days in jail, two years probation and 80 hours of community service. He will also have to pay $4,700 in restitution to the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for care of the confiscated pit bulls that had to be euthanized.
He could have been sentenced to up to a year in jail and up to a $4,000 fine.
Harris County Assistant District Attorney Belinda Smith said she was surprised by his admission on the stand, calling it a rarity.
"It was a vindication," said Smith. "For two days the SPCA was attacked, the Houston Humane Society was attacked, the vet was attacked just to find out everything they were saying was the truth. Everything adds up."
Munerlyn did not admit to fighting dogs on the property where the dogs were seized. He said dogs fought elsewhere.
He was given a two-day credit on his jail sentence for his admission. However, in sentencing Harris addressed his dishonesty during the trial.
"You took the witness stand under oath and lied to all of us," said Harris. "I found your testimony that you fought the animals for pleasure, your words, horrifying. You sent them into battle knowing they would be harmed."
Juror Velma Hugh said the numerous pictures shown at trial helped them reach their verdicts.
"It was so many scars, you couldn't deny it. He should have taken them to the vet," said Hugh. "He seems like a decent person. He just needs to realize this is not good." | Source: Houston Chroncle - Oct 17, 2007
Update posted on Oct 18, 2007 - 10:40AM |
Ronald Munerlyn is scheduled for trial on September 10, 2007 at 9:00 a.m.
In February, 26 pit bulls were reportedly seized from him by the Houston SPCA.
Some of the dogs had fresh wounds and scars believed to be the result of dog-fighting.
According to officers, equipment found included treadmills for exercising dogs, portable dog-fighting rings, and carpet squares with large patches of dried blood.
Dog-fighting is a felony in the state of Texas; however according to court records, Munerlyn currently only faces misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. | Source: Harris County Case # 1438016
Update posted on Jul 17, 2007 - 4:13PM |
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