Case Details
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Case ID: 13032
Classification: Fighting
Animal: dog (pit-bull)
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Dog-fighting - a dozen dogs seized
Jefferson, TX (US)

Incident Date: Sunday, Jan 27, 2008
County: Marion

Charges: Misdemeanor, Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 8 files available

Alleged:
» Barbara Coulter - Convicted
» Gerald Herbert Lowery
» Broderick Crawford Stewart - Convicted
» Carlos Dewayne Kelley
» Dean Danton Miller
» Tyrone Eugene Luster - Convicted
» Derrick Laprende Talton - Convicted
» Melvin Clinton Capps
» Curtis Giddens - Convicted
» Terrence Robertson - Convicted
» Howard Lee Williams

Case Updates: 4 update(s) available

A vicious dog fighting ring lands seven people behind bars in Marion County, but for many of the animals the arrests come far too late. KLTV 7's cameras were there as law enforcement arrested several people in connection to what authorities are calling a major East Texas dog fighting ring.

Around noon, Sunday, Marion County deputies were alerted to a dog fight on a remote piece of property in the 2900 Block of FM 2208. That's about four miles west of Jefferson. When deputies got there, they quickly learned they had stumbled upon something much bigger. The sight of dead and injured dogs was extremely graphic. Even for experienced officers, it was a sickening sight.

"It's a terrible way to treat an animal," said Marion County Sheriff Bill McKay. It was a routine call for a sheriff's deputy, Sunday. He thought he was responding to a domestic dog fight."

"They were coming out toward the cars," said Marion County Sheriff's Deputy Roger Manning. "They saw me drive up, and I hollered 'halt'. They turned around and went back down through the woods, and I took off after them." Manning says he surprised the dog fighting ring. More than a dozen people fled into the woods and were chased by police. Back on the property, deputies found a dozen dogs bloodied and with massive wounds from fighting.

"It's bad to see animals in this shape, and the way they train them, the way they keep them is horrible," said McKay. "They don't feed them. They make them wear heavy chains to make them mean as they can." Deputies were able to arrest seven people, including the landowner.

"The landowner was responsible for this," said McKay. "He was probably heading it up." More grisly discoveries, however, were made. After investigators searched the property, they found a grotesque makeshift graveyard for dogs that didn't survive, or were destroyed by their owners. Investigators say some of the dogs died recently, but they found bones from much earlier deaths.

Deputies confiscated guns, Sunday, a dozen cars were impounded and suspects were caught carrying huge amounts of cash.

The SPCA of Texas took the remaining dogs into custody tonight and will care for them at its facility near Dallas. The names of those who were arrested have not yet been released. All the suspects will be arraigned Monday. Investigators say more arrests are expected.


Case Updates

A Marion County man has pleaded guilty to two counts of felony dog fighting.

Tyrone Eugene Luster, 35, of Jefferson was among 10 people arrested in January after Marion County officials received an anonymous tip about dog fighting. According to Marion County District Attorney Bill Gleason, Luster provided the property and the arena for the dog fight on FM 2208 about 4 miles southwest of Jefferson.

Luster pleaded guilty to the charges on May 27 and was sentenced by a judge to two years in state jail on each charge, the maximum sentence. He also received a five-year sentence for violating probation on a previous felony drug charge. The sentences will run concurrently.

"I think it was fair," Gleason said of the sentences.

Gleason said Luster had cooperated with authorities after his arrest.

Five other people charged with misdemeanor dog fighting pleaded guilty in April. Misdemeanor charges against three people and a felony charge against one person are still pending. An 11th man, Howard "Bobo" Lee Williams, has been named in a felony arrest warrant, and authorities are searching for him.
Source: News-Journal.com - Jun 3, 2008
Update posted on Jun 3, 2008 - 2:26PM 
Five people have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in a Marion County dog-fighting case.

Marion County District Attorney Bill Gleason said County Judge Phil Parker heard the guilty pleas Thursday from five people who were charged with being a spectator at a dog fight: Broderick Stewart, 48, of Texarkana; Curtis Giddens, 57, of Haywood, Okla.; Derrick Talton, 37, of Douglassville; Terrence Robertson, 34, of Tenaha; and Barbara Coulter, 37, of Texarkana. They were among 11 people arrested in January when Marion County officials received an anonymous tip about dog-fighting taking place on Farm-to-Market Road 2208 about four miles southwest of Jefferson.

Stewart and Talton were sentenced to five days in jail, which Gleason said they had already served after their initial arrests. Officers had discovered a combined $4,000 in the men's possession when they were arrested, Gleason said.

"They graciously agreed" to donate that money to the Humane Society of Marion County as part of their guilty pleas, Gleason said.

Giddens, Robertson and Coulter were sentenced to one year probation and fined $500 each, Gleason said.

Three other people who also are charged with the misdemeanor of watching a dog fight have pleaded not guilty, he said. They are: Gerald Lowry, 47, of Texarkana; Carlos Kelly, 38, of Texarkana; and Clinton Capps, 29, of Douglassville. Felony charges also are still pending against three other people in the case. Tyrone Luster, 35, of Jefferson, remains jailed on felony charges that he provided the arena for dog-fighting and participated in dog-fighting, Gleason said. He also is being held on a motion to revoke his probation on a previous drug charge.

Sean Miller, 35, of Texarkana also is charged with a felony because he brought a dog to the fight, Gleason said. He has been released from jail on bond. A third man, Howard "Bobo" Lee Williams has been named in a felony arrest warrant on the same charge. Authorities are still searching for Williams, 32, of Tenaha, who has previously been seen in Longview, Gleason said.

Luster and Miller also originally were arrested on charges of engaging in organized criminal activity, but Gleason said that after reviewing the law he found that they could not be charged with that crime in a dog-fighting case.

He said Luster owned 10 of the 12 dogs that authorities confiscated from the property in January. All of the animals had to be euthanized.
Source: News Journal - April 18, 2008
Update posted on Apr 18, 2008 - 1:15PM 
Carrie Leake says she was stunned when she saw her pit pull "Bo", who was stolen over a year ago on kltv.com. "I just broke down and I knew it was Bo when I saw him. I watched the video on the KLTV and I stopped it and I re-winded it several times. Undoubtedly, it was him.

I probably wouldn't have seen it. I usually just check the weather. If it wasn't for KLTV I wouldn't have seen the picture of my dog," said Leake. Carrie says for months she's been looking for her pit bull and had no idea that the sweet and loving animal she once knew had been turned into a helpless and vicious animal. "They got from the show ring, to sleeping in a child's bed, to having to fight to survive. Only a coward and a heartless person can take somebody's pet--somebody's love one and do to them what they're doing to them. "I know I'm not going to get my pet back. Just seeing him on KLTV kind of brings me closure, at least I know he's not out there being tortured anymore," said Leake. No more torture, but unfortunate for Leake as an East Texas pet owner, who may never see her pet again.

Marion county authorities and the Marion county Humane Society are trying to determine if any of the dogs from the dog fighting ring were stolen.
Source: KLTV - Jan 31, 2008
Update posted on Jan 31, 2008 - 9:28PM 
Marion County Sheriff's deputies spent Monday exhuming canine carcasses from a site where they cracked a dog fighting ring Sunday.

Sheriff Bill McCay said evidence turned up thus far indicates the illegal activities spanned several states.

Officers responding to a tip found 11 live pit bulls at the Farm-to-Market 2208 residence and also discovered eight dead dogs in various stages of decay.

Monday's trips to the site revealed, however, that many more dogs had been buried on property owned by Tyrone Eugene Luster.

And, McCay said, a seized computer indicates the dog fights were publicized via a Web site.

"It's an underground operation through which they invite people from all over to come and bring their dogs to fight and others to come watch and bet on the dogs," he said.

"As we gain more information, we'll be sharing it with law enforcement agencies in other states to let them know their people are involved," McCay added.

The sheriff's office received a call at 11:30 a.m. Sunday of a "possible dog fight on 2208," the sheriff said.

"My responding officer, Roger Manning, answered the call, expecting to find a couple of dogs in a yard fighting. That wasn't what he found at all."

McCay said Manning discovered a make shift fighting pit fashioned from corrugated tin. In it, two pit bull dogs were fighting as 10 to 15 people watched.

"Most of them ran off into a wooded area when they saw the deputy," McCay said. "The property owner and three others stayed" and Manning arrested them.

"He then called for back-up and six more deputies went to the site, along with Frank Cason of Jefferson Police Department. We were all out there combing the woods," McCay said, and 11 people were eventually arrested.

Luster, 35, of Jefferson was charged with engaging in organized criminal activities, cruelty to animals, felon in possession of a firearm, and tampering with physical evidence. His bond was set at $500,000.

Nine others were charged with engaging in organized criminal activities and cruelty to animals. Their bail was set at $50,000 each.

They include Barbara Coulter, 36, of Dallas; Gerald Herbert Lowery, 47, Broderick Crawford Stewart, 48, Carlos Dewayne Kelley, 37, and Dean Danton Miller, 35, all of Texarkana, Texas; Clinton Melvin Capps, 29, and Derrick Laprende Talton, 33, both of Douglassville; Terrence Ray Robertson, 34, of Tenaha; and Curtis Gene Giddens, 57, of Idabel, Okla.

Myoshei Uemeka Johnson, 28, of Hallsville was arrested for failure to identify and was fined $325.

McCay said Marion County notified The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and received a response from the same officials who had on Friday removed a couple hundred animals from a residence in Harrison County.

"They took the dogs to their McKinney shelter," McCay said. "We have no place to keep them in Marion County, but they won't be destroyed. We'll keep them until this goes to court.

"We confiscated eight vehicles with cages in them, which indicated the dogs were brought here from other areas. We intend to ask Marion County District Attorney Bill Gleason if we are able to keep the vehicles under the organized crime law," the sheriff said.

Marion County investigator Shaun Cox took 142 crime scene photos, including some of dog collars bearing Shreveport, La., telephone numbers � further proof that the activity crossed state lines. For this reason, county officials have notified the FBI.

"We also seized $10,000 in cash," McCay said. "One man who came from Texarkana had $6,000 on him � all in hundred dollar bills. So we knew he came ready to gamble on the fights.

"It's a major revenue sport. These breeders spend big money to buy and train these dogs."

Deputies found evidence of the training procedure in a refrigerator. There was a calf liver and a bottle of blood.

"They rub that on the dogs' faces to encourage them to fight," McCay explained.

Also confiscated were battery cables, which are used to shock the animals and make them aggressive.

McCay said many of the dog skeletons dug up on Monday were those of smaller dogs.

"We believe they go out and get these dogs to use in training the pit bulls," he said. "They don't want to destroy their investment in the pit bull by fighting it against one of its own kind, so they get smaller dogs that they know the pit bull can kill."

The investigation continues.
Source: Marshall News Messenger - Jan 29, 2008
Update posted on Jan 31, 2008 - 9:19PM 

References

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