Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | John Simon |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #12615 Rating: 3.3 out of 5
Dog-fighting - 30 dogs seized
Milton, FL (US)Incident Date: Monday, Nov 5, 2007
County: Santa Rosa
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Raymond Eugene Teamer
» Jeffrey Jay - Dismissed
» Michael Anthony Jones - Dismissed
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
Santa Rosa County law enforcement officials arrested a Milton man on Monday night suspected of operating a major dogfighting operation. Thirty dogs were found at his home that authorities believe were used for fighting.
Raymond Eugene Teamer, 42, of Trammel Drive was taken into custody after a vehicle left his home Monday and deputies found two pit bulls with injuries they suspect came from fighting.
"Investigators have been investigating Teamer for months in an effort to break up a large scale operation ... breeding high-dollar pit bulls for fighting other dogs in multiple states," said Scott Haines, spokesman for the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies executed a search warrant at the 9-acre property Teamer owns and found dogs throughout the property chained to steel posts.
"The majority of the dogs had wounds, both fresh and healed, that are consistent with dog fighting activities," Haines said.
The dogs found on Teamer's property included pit bulls ranging from newborn puppies to adults.
A female pit bull with fresh wounds was kept in a cage while nursing her newborn puppies.
Ark Animal Hospital in Pace examined the injured dogs Monday night before they were taken to the Santa Rosa County Animal Shelter.
Deputies searching Teamer's property also found numerous records, trophies and other items they say document Teamer's activities, including breeding, selling and fighting dogs.
Multiple law enforcement agencies and animal shelters assisted with the investigation, including removing the dogs from the property.
Teamer was booked at Santa Rosa County Jail.
Bond has been set at $70,000 for Teamer. He will be arraigned Dec. 3. He will be represented by the Public Defender's Office.
Case UpdatesCharges have been dropped against two Century men that were accused of dog fighting in Santa Rosa County.
Jeffery Jay, 34, and Michael Anthony Jones, 38, both of Century, were charged with training or baiting animals for fighting.
A judge has tossed out the case against Jay and Jones because animal control officers accidentally euthanized pit bills that belonged to the two men. Only the dogs that belonged to a third man were supposed to be destroyed.
Raymond Eugene Teamer, 42, of Milton was charged with 35 counts of training or baiting animals for fighting and two counts of possessing or selling dog fighting equipment, all third degree felonies, in connection with a raid on his property in Milton back in November of last year. He was sentenced in court Friday to 15 years in state prison.
The Century men were arrested in early November following a traffic stop as they left Teamer's Milton home. Two fighting dogs were found in the back of their truck, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Department. Other items that are used in the dog fighting community were also found in the vehicle. Both were released on $10,000 bond each the same day.
That traffic stop led to the search of Teamer's home.
Investigators have been investigating Teamer for months in an effort to break up a large scale operation in which Teamer was breeding high dollar pit bulls for fighting other dogs in multiple states.
A search warrant was then obtained for Teamer's residence. When the search warrant was executed, investigators found approximately 30 pit bull dogs located on the nine acre parcel of land owned by Teamer. These dogs were spread throughout Teamer's property, chained fast to steel posts embedded in the ground with heavy industrial chains. The majority of the dogs had wounds, both fresh and healed, that are consistent with dog fighting activities. The investigation revealed that Teamer breeds these dogs specifically for the purpose of fighting. Numerous records, trophies, and other items were located on Teamer's property that document Teamer's activity of breeding, selling and fighting these dogs.
Multiple agencies and entities assisted with the investigation, including the collection and removal of the dogs from the property. The Flomaton Police Department as well as the Flomaton Animal Shelter also assisted in the investigation, due to the majority of the dog fights occurring in their jurisdiction. | Source: North Escambia - Oct 30, 2008
Update posted on Nov 2, 2008 - 10:16PM |
A judge sentenced a Milton man to 15 years in state prison Friday after a jury found him guilty of raising pit bulls used in illegal dog fights.
The state charged Raymond Eugene Teamer, 42, with 35 counts of training or baiting animals for fighting and two counts of processing or selling dog fighting equipment. The charges are all third-degree felonies.
Assistant State Attorney John Simon said that on Nov. 5, Santa Rosa County Sheriff's investigators found 30 dogs and five puppies on Teamer's Trammel Drive home after a seven-month investigation.
Many of the dogs were tethered using thick chains. One such chain that weighed 22 pounds became a key piece of evidence during the first day of the trial.
Simon explained to the jury that the chains are placed on smaller dogs to help build up their strength.
In addition to the dogs and chains, Simon said investigators uncovered a cache of medicine and equipment used to treat dogs that are severely wounded in matches that are usually fought until one dog dies.
Investigators also found a 10-page document in Teamer's house that detailed how to train and condition dogs for fighting.
Many of the dogs found at Teamer's property had scars on their noses and faces that one expert testified were indicators that the dogs were used for fighting.
"It's a pretty grotesque scene," John Simon said of the underground sport of dog fighting.
Simon and his co-prosecutor Bridgette Jensen showed the jury dozens of grisly photographs of scared dogs, and dead dogs investigators found in the woods near Teamer's property.
One dog, a five-time champion named Willie, was missing the entire lower portion of his jaw. Fighting dogs are designated grand champions when they win five fights and are then bred because their puppies are considered valuable, Simon said.
Teamer's defense attorney Peter France produced no witnesses to rebut the prosecution's long list of charges and allegations.
The dogs found on Teamer's property were euthanized. Dominic Persichini Santa Rosa County's Animal Services director said his agency does not adopt out dogs that have been bred for fighting.
"We don't adopt them out here at the shelter because we consider them a risk," Persichini said. "Normally, if they are fighting dogs, they usually aren't aggressive toward people, but they are extremely aggressive toward other dogs."
Two other men connected with the investigation, Jeffrey Jay, 33, of Century, and Michael Anthony Jones, 34, of Century have charges pending. They are scheduled for court appearances next month. | Source: Pensacola News-Journal - Aug 1, 2008
Update posted on Aug 1, 2008 - 9:34PM |
Santa Rosa County, Florida, officials say they were unable to adopt 30 pit bulls taken from the home of a man accused of leading a dog fighting ring because of a county policy. The dogs were euthanized on Nov 14.
County officials say puppies taken from Raymond Teamer's house have also died. | Source: NBC 13 - Nov 15, 2007
Update posted on Nov 16, 2007 - 6:27AM |
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