Dog-fighting Sweetwater, TN (US) Incident Date: Friday, Jul 13, 2007 County: Monroe Local Map: available Disposition: Not Charged Person of Interest: Thomas Earl Hill

Case ID: 11754 Classification: Fighting Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in TN (US) Login to Watch this Case

A man who was in the hospital for a dog bite ended up being arrested for DUI on his way home.

Monroe County Sheriff�s Deputy Rodney Cathey said he and fellow Deputy Tillman Steele talked to Thomas Earl Hill, 47, as he was being treated for a dog bite. Hill told Cathey he and his neighbor were fighting their dogs when he was bitten.

Cathey asked Hill if he knew dog fighting was illegal and Hill said he wasn�t aware of that, but his neighbor had come over and challenged his dog and Hill couldn�t turn the challenge down.

Hill said he got bit when he tried to pull his dog off the neighbor�s dog as it was moving in for the kill. When asked who his neighbor was, Cathey said Hill became evasive and would just say he lived on the same road.

Cathey said he called Detective Mike Morgan who said to have Hill come to the detective�s office and Morgan would figure what kind of dog fighting was going on.

Cathey said he told Hill what he needed to do, noticing during their talk that Hill had blood shot eyes, slurred speech and smelled of alcohol.

Cathey left the hospital and drove to Billingsly Road where Hill lived to look for any dangerous animals that might be around. While he was doing that, he met a car in a constricted area of road and pulled over to let it pass.

When the car drove by, he saw Thomas Hill driving it. Cathey turned around and stopped Hill in his driveway. He had Hill perform numerous field sobriety tests, which he failed, then refused to do several more, saying he had problems with his elbow.

Hill also refused to take a blood alcohol test. He is charged with DUI and violation of the implied consent law.

The alleged dog fight is still under investigation.

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References

Monroe County Online - July 13, 2007

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