Case Snapshot

Case ID: 12507

Classification: Fighting

Animal: dog (non pit-bull), dog (pit-bull)

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Dog-fighting - 26 dogs seized
Dexter, MO (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Oct 20, 2007
County: Stoddard

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 4 files available

Alleged:
» Jamie D. Sifford - Convicted
» Jessey D. Short
» Curtis Eugene Pickering
» Orville Pickering

Upcoming Court Dates:
» Thursday, Jan 15, 2009: Curtis Pickering trial
» Monday, Mar 23, 2009: Short's motions hearing
» Monday, Mar 30, 2009: Short's trial

Case Updates: 15 update(s) available

Officials at the Humane Society of Missouri are evaluating 26 dogs rescued from an alleged dogfighting ring to determine if they can be rehabilitated or if they will have to be euthanized.

An anonymous tip alerted authorities in southeast Missouri, who staked out a rural home near Dexter, Stoddard County Sheriff Carl Hefner said Monday.

On Saturday night, as participants gathered for what authorities said would be a fighting event, deputies moved in. The property owner, 29-year-old Jamie Sifford of Dudley, Mo., was arrested, along with Jessey Short, 30, of Cape Girardeau, and Curtis Pickering, 28, of South Fulton, Tenn.

All three were charged with felony dogfighting. Sifford was also charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Sifford may face additional charges for violating probation, Hefner said. All three remain jailed -- Short and Pickering in lieu of $125,000 bail, Sifford without bail.

The dogs consisted of 25 pit bulls and one beagle. Authorities believe the beagle was not involved in fighting. Hefner said the animals had several bite wounds, new and old, but they believe the men involved were relative novices.

"This is the first thing like this we've ever dealt with," Hefner said.

The dogs, Hefner said, were surprisingly gentle considering they were bred to fight.

"They weren't aggressive to us at all," he said. "You could walk up to them and they'd jump up and lick you. But whenever they'd make eye contact with a dog chained next to them, they'd get aggressive toward each other."

Humane Society spokeswoman Jeane Jae said all 26 dogs will survive their wounds, but because they were bred to be fighters, will likely be euthanized.

"It's very sad the dogs have to suffer for the actions of humans," she said.

The arrests come just months after dogfighting was thrust into the national spotlight with the arrest and guilty plea of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. Tim Rickey, director of rescues and investigations for the Humane Society of Missouri, said the Vick case has raised awareness of the crime and led to some tips -- but few specifics.

"People are reporting generic tips," he said. "It takes quite a bit to get to one of these properties when the fights are happening."

In the Stoddard County case, Hefner said authorities watched as the three participants gathered with their dogs, then moved in before fighting actually occurred.

The fights were staged in a barn in a rural area near Dexter, about 160 miles south of St. Louis. Inside, investigators found a dogfighting ring, a bloodstained tarp, a device to weigh the dogs and equipment used to train them -- weighted sleds that the dogs pulled to build muscle, collars weighing as much as 20 pounds to build neck muscle, treadmills. Also found were medical supplies used to treat the injured animals.

Hefner said two skulls that appeared to be from dogs were found outside the barn. No dead dogs were found on the property.

Rickey said dogfighting is generally conducted by people involved in other crimes, often those dealing in drugs.

"It's kind of a status symbol among people like that, to have the toughest dog," he said.

The dogfighting events can also be lucrative -- Rickey said it is not uncommon to clear up to $15,000 in staging a fight. Meanwhile, a dog with established blood lines as a fighter can sell for big money for breeding purposes.

Case Updates

References

• - Oct 22, 2007

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