An alleged participant in a West Kensington dogfighting operation was easy to spot - police say they saw him walking down the street covered with blood.
A preliminary investigation into the source of the blood Monday led officers to an abandoned house near where the suspect, Barry White, 32, lived on Madison Street near Shelbourne, police from the East Detective Division said yesterday.
Inside, investigators said they found a makeshift fighting ring, a set of "poorly constructed cages" and 11 dogs, all in poor health and some injured and bloody.
The scene was indicative of a gambling ring involving dogfights, police from East Detectives said in a statement.
White and Joseph Roberts, 44, of the same address, were charged with animal cruelty and criminal conspiracy, both felonies.
They were arrested after plain- clothes officers observed White walking down Madison Street in bloody clothing.
The seized dogs were taken to the Philadelphia Animal Care and Control Association, where chief executive officer Tara Derby-Perrin said yesterday that they had been transferred to the Pennsylvania SPCA. The animals need to be held for prosecution of the defendants, and keeping them at PACCA could mean euthanizing other healthy dogs to make room, she said.
A spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania SPCA could not be reached late yesterday to learn the condition of the animals.
Detective Gil Ortiz said that at least two of the dogs had "bleeding, open wounds and were very withdrawn, hiding in the cages."
Ortiz said several of the dogs were "definitely fighting dogs." Others were under a year old, and several of them were "really tore up" and may have been used to train the others, he said.
All but one appeared to be pit bulls and the other a pit-bull mix, Ortiz said.
Police suspect the men charged as little as $5 to watch dogfights.
Ortiz said officers seized $3,600 in cash, most of it in small denominations.
Besides cages and the fight ring,investigators also seized a number of items apparently used to "train" or otherwise agitate dogs, the police statement said.
A vehicle used as a dog pen and another containing other evidence also were seized. Case UpdatesJoseph Roberts and Barry White are scheduled for trial on October 16 at 9:00 a.m. in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
The two face felony charges of animal cruelty and criminal conspiracy stemming from alleged participation in a West Kensington dogfighting operation.
The scene was indicative of a gambling ring involving dogfights, police from East Detectives said in a statement in February.
White and Roberts were arrested after plain- clothes officers observed White walking down Madison Street covered in blood. | Source: CR0008791-2007 and CR0008780-2007
Update posted on Sep 5, 2007 - 2:36PM |
| Accused dog-fighters Barry White and Joseph Roberts will appear in court for formal arraignment on felony charges of animal cruelty and conspiracy on August 10, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. in the Phildelphia Court of Common Pleas. | Source: Case # CR8780-2007 (Roberts) CR8791-2007 (White)
Update posted on Jul 23, 2007 - 8:15PM |
Yesterday in Municipal Court, authorities revealed the gruesome scene they stumbled upon at the home of Barry White, 32, and his stepfather, Joseph Roberts, 45, and in an abandoned property behind their house. Some pit bulls were bleeding, their bodies and paws chewed up. Some were skinny and looked diseased or neglected.
Police Officer Donald Murdoch Jr. testified at White and Roberts' preliminary hearing that at about 9:45 p.m. Feb. 26, he thought he spotted a homicide suspect among a group of men outside on Madison Street.
It wasn't the right guy. But this man, Stephen Skinner, had blood all over his sneakers and pants, Murdoch said. So did another man, who turned out to be White.
In explanation, White, who lived on that street, said, "His dog is in heat; he was trying to breed his dog," Murdoch testified.
Murdoch asked to see the dog. The first "thin pit bull" brought out from White's house "didn't have a drop of blood on him."
So White had another dog brought out. This pit bull's "face was bleeding, its body ripped, it was all chewed up," Murdoch testified under questioning by prosecutor Robert Lynch.
Murdoch then saw two more pit bulls in a green minivan nearby - one's face was cut up.
After placing White in custody and calling the Philadelphia Animal Care and Control Association, Murdoch searched the house with other officers. He then met Roberts, who said he didn't know what had happened to the dogs.
In the basement, Murdoch found "very thin dogs" in dirty kennels. More kennels littered the back yard, where one dog was bleeding, he said.
Across the alley, in the rear of an abandoned house, Murdoch saw even more kennels. Inside that house, he saw "what appeared to be a fighting ring" with "blood all over" the carpeted floor and wooden-boarded sides.
He found "four more pit bulls chained" in that house and also saw "treadmills with chains."
Under cross-examination by Roberts' lawyer, public defender Aaron Marcus, Murdoch confirmed that he did not see any blood on Roberts.
Pennsylvania SPCA police officer Leonard Knox, who also investigated that night, testified yesterday that among the dogs he saw in White and Roberts' basement, was a "black pit bull in very bad condition, very lethargic. It appeared to have just been fighting. It was bleeding, bleeding bad."
At the end of the hearing, held at the police building on Whitaker Avenue near Erie, Judge Harvey Robbins held White and Roberts for trial on felony charges of cruelty to animals and conspiracy. White was also charged with false identification; initially, he allegedly said he was someone else.
After the hearing, Knox said the SPCA was caring for the 12 pit bulls found at the two houses and was trying to make them adoptable. | Source: Philly.com - Jul 14, 2007
Update posted on Jul 16, 2007 - 12:37PM |
Accused Philadelphia dog-fighters Barry White (aka Carlos Deloatch) and Joseph Roberts will appear in court next on July 13, 2007 at 8:30 a.m. for a preliminary hearing.
Both face felony charges of cruelty to animals and conspiracy, stemming from an alleged dog-fighting bust in February.
They two were arrested after plain-clothes officers observed White walking down the street covered in blood.
An investigation into the source of the blood led officers to an abandoned house near where White lived on Madison Street.
Inside, investigators said they found a makeshift fighting ring, a set of "poorly constructed cages" and 11 dogs, all in poor health and some injured and bloody.
Detective Gil Ortiz said that at least two of the dogs had "bleeding, open wounds and were very withdrawn, hiding in the cages."
Ortiz said several of the dogs were "definitely fighting dogs."
Besides cages and the fight ring, investigators also reportedly seized a number of items commonly used to train fighting dogs. | Source: Docket #'s CR-0009289-2007 and CR-0009274-2007
Update posted on Jun 7, 2007 - 4:20PM |
| Barry White (aka Carlos Deloatch) and Joseph Roberts appeared in Philadelphia Municipal Court for preliminary arraignment on February 27, 2007. They face felony charges of cruelty to animals, conspiracy, and providing false identification to a police officer. They were released from custody on $10,000 bail, and will appear in court next on May 1, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. for an arraignment status hearing. | Source: Philadelphia County Docket # MC-51-CR-0009289-2007 & MC-51-CR-0009274-2007
Update posted on Mar 2, 2007 - 2:36PM |
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