Dog-fighting - 4 dogs seized Indianapolis, IN (US) Incident Date: Monday, Sep 17, 2007 County: Marion Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Charges: Felony CTA Alleged: Michelle Bolden

Case ID: 12330 Classification: Fighting Animal: dog (pit-bull) View more cases in IN (US) Login to Watch this Case

The city's mayor, police chief and public safety leader gathered Friday in George Washington Park, a block away from the site of this week's arrest in a dogfighting case.

They announced that a dogfighting task force formed earlier this month had made its first arrest Monday night after police found evidence of a dogfight at a small home in the 3100 block of Eastern Avenue.

The home is within sight of the Eastside park, where children were seen playing Monday night.

Indianapolis metropolitan police arrested Michelle Bolden, 38, on four counts of promoting dogfighting and four counts of animal cruelty, both Class D felonies, each punishable by a maximum $10,000 fine and up to three years in prison.

Bolden was released from jail Tuesday on a $30,000 surety bond.

Police received a tip about a dogfight going on in the backyard, but everyone scattered as officers arrived, said Lt. Jerry Bippus of the city's Division of Animal Care and Control.

Bippus said he and other law enforcement officers found four dogs in the backyard, including one that he said looked half-dead and was covered in blood and dirt. The condition of the dogs, which were confiscated, allowed authorities to file the charges even though the fight had ended, Bippus said.

He said officers have made about four arrests in dogfighting cases this year and are investigating nine other cases.

Bippus and other Indianapolis officials hope those numbers will increase as the new task force focuses on driving dogfighting out of the city.

The task force includes the city's Animal Care and Control Division, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Humane Society of the United States and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Earl Morgan, director of the Department of Public Safety, said task force members will meet weekly to share information and plan how to advance investigations. Morgan said the intent is to "make sure we drive it out of our community."

Anne Sterling, Indiana director of the Humane Society of the United States, said she could not estimate how much dogfighting goes on in Indianapolis but said more than 30 percent of the dogs that come to the city's Animal Care and Control Division are pit bulls, and many have scars consistent with fighting.

Mayor Bart Peterson noted the city has seen children literally torn limb from limb and disfigured in attacks by vicious dogs.

"When dogs are treated in an abusive way or trained to fight, and get loose, we have seen the consequences," he said.

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Indystar - Sept 22, 2007

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