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Case #13261 Rating: 3.2 out of 5
Cockfighting - 13 seized, 1 dead
East Palo Alto, CA (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Feb 24, 2008
County: San Mateo
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Jose Alfredo Sierra
» juvenile male
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A 19-year-old man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to four charges of animal cruelty after being arrested at the scene of a cockfighting operation in the backyard of an East Palo Alto home.
Jose Alfredo Sierra, an East Palo Alto resident, was arrested Sunday in the backyard of a house on the 2500 block of Ralmar Avenue. Police went to the home after a neighbor called to complain about what sounded like roosters fighting, Sgt. Rahn Sibley said.
East Palo Alto police officers and investigators from the Peninsula Humane Society found one dead rooster with severe lacerations, another that was severely injured and four that were locked in cages. They also found razor blades, used syringes and enhancement drugs with names such as "Gamebird Energizer Plus," "Aminoplex Gamebird Conditioner" and "Vitamin K for Gamecocks."
Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said no evidence of gambling was found on the property. He said the humane society determined through necropsy that the rooster had died the same day from severe blood loss.
A minor was also arrested, cited and released to his parents, and investigators are still seeking two suspects who jumped a fence and fled. Wagstaffe said Sierra does not live at the Ralmar residence.
Sierra is being held on $130,000 bail and is set to appear in court March 5 for a review conference and March 10 for a preliminary hearing. He is facing four felony animal abuse counts and seven misdemeanor counts
of possessing roosters for fighting. Under the maximum sentence, Sierra could get four years.
The humane society's investigating officer for this case could not be reached for comment.
It's not uncommon for the county to prosecute cockfighting cases, Wagstaffe said, noting he sees about one case every two years. But they are rarely in an urban setting, he said. He recalled some properties south of Half Moon Bay that had fighting pits, several seats and clear signs of organized gambling.
"The ones on the coast are a bit more sophisticated," Wagstaffe said. "That's why they do it in the country - there's no neighbors to call and complain, which is exactly what happened here."
Sibley and Wagstaffe both said they remember a case in East Palo Alto about 10 years ago involving a resident who was breeding about 200 roosters on his property for fighting.
Case UpdatesA 19-year-old man arrested at the scene of a cockfighting operation in the backyard of an East Palo Alto home was sentenced Wednesday to six months in the county jail on one felony count of animal abuse.
Jose Alfredo Sierra, of East Palo Alto, was facing up to four years on multiple felony counts of animal abuse and seven misdemeanor counts of possessing roosters for fighting, prosecutors said. In a deal with prosecutors, he pleaded no contest on Wednesday to the one felony count of animal abuse.
"It's a good outcome," Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said of the plea deal. "Most importantly, he'll be on probation for the next three years, so he'll be carefully watched to make sure that he doesn't engage in any animal abuse, whether it's with roosters and cockfighting or anything else."
Sierra was arrested Feb. 24 in the backyard of a house on the 2500 block of Ralmar Avenue. Police went to the home after a neighbor called to complain about what sounded like roosters fighting, East Palo Alto police Lt. Rahn Sibley said.
East Palo Alto police officers and investigators from the Peninsula Humane Society found one dead rooster with severe cuts, another that was severely injured and four that were locked in cages. They also found razor blades, used syringes and enhancement drugs with names such as "Gamebird Energizer Plus," "Aminoplex Gamebird Conditioner" and "Vitamin K for Gamecocks."
Police also arrested a juvenile at the scene; he was cited and released to his parents. Two suspects escaped by jumping a fence on the property. Sierra, the only adult charged in the cockfighting incident, does not live at the Ralmar residence, prosecutors said.
The San Mateo County District Attorney's Office prosecutes cockfighting cases on average about once every two years, Wagstaffe said. However, most of the cockfighting operations spring up on the Coast, including some properties south of Half Moon Bay that had fighting pits, several seats and clear signs of organized gambling.
Cockfighting in an urban setting, such as East Palo Alto, is rarer, he added.
Both Sibley and Wagstaffe said they recalled a case in East Palo Alto about 10 years ago involving a resident who was breeding about 200 roosters on his property for fighting. | Source: Palo Alto Daily News - Mar 27, 2008
Update posted on Mar 27, 2008 - 12:14PM |
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