Cockfighting - 14 birds seized Athens, GA (US) Incident Date: Saturday, Mar 17, 2007 County: Madison Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: » Felix Mireles » Rogelio Vega Sanchez » Ismael Diaz » Nestor Hernandez » Ezequiel Rodriguez » Bernardino Hernandez » Serafin Gutierrez Hernandez » Enrique Arias

Case ID: 11063 Classification: Fighting Animal: chicken View more cases in GA (US) Login to Watch this Case

Madison County authorities arrested eight men and seized 14 roosters, three pickup trucks and an SUV at what they said was an illegal cockfight near Hull.

The men were arrested March 17 on Old Elberton Road in Hull near the Clarke County line after a passing motorist told a Madison County sheriff's deputy about a cockfight at Chandler Ray Mobile Home Park, said sheriff's department Capt. Mike Benner.

Three deputies and a state Department of Natural Resources officer discovered six men sitting outside of a trailer at Lot No. 4, according to a sheriff deputy's report. Several roosters were penned in individual cages nearby.

A crate near the trailer contained a bloody and scarred gamecock, Deputy Brian Morris wrote in his report, and officers found two more injured roosters in cages in pickup trucks.

The six men said they did not know who owned the trucks. As officers talked to the men, who spoke little English, the resident of the mobile home, Felix Mireles, arrived but "did not seem to know anyone there or anything about how the rooster could have been hurt," according to the report.

The officer could see chicken feed labeled "Game cock conditioner" inside the trailer, according to the report.

An eighth man, Rogelio Vega Sanchez, was detained after he drove up to the trailer park, then left quickly, Benner said. When Sanchez stopped, deputies discovered he was wearing a rooster shirt and hat, both taken into evidence, and his hands and clothes were stained with blood, according to the report.

Arrested were Mireles, 66; Sanchez, 40, of Athens; and Ismael Diaz, 28, of Gainesville; Nestor Hernandez, 24, of Braselton; Ezequiel Rodriguez, 29, of Gainesville; Bernardino Hernandez, 40, of Braselton; Serafin Gutierrez Hernandez, 42, of Gainesville; and Enrique Arias, 21, of Gainesville.

All eight were charged with aggravated cruelty to animals. Sanchez also was charged with driving without a license, and Mireles was charged with keeping a disorderly house.

Arcade police broke up what they suspect was a cockfighting ring two years ago, but couldn't get felony convictions for the men involved.

In March 2005, officers responded to complaints of gunshots and found a cockfighting and rooster breeding operation with seven hens and 91 roosters, some dead or dying, according to investigators. Arcade officers said they also found needles, syringes, steroid drugs, medical bottles and bloodstains on the grounds.

Jackson County State Court Solicitor Donald Moore reduced the charges to disorderly conduct for four of the men, and to discharging a firearm in the city limits for a fifth. Each paid a $273 fine.

The reduction in charges caught the disapproving attention of the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which posted an "action alert" on its Web site, encouraging readers to call Moore.

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Athens Banner-Herald - March 21, 2007

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