CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #13447 Rating: 3.0 out of 5
Cockfighting - 75 birds seized
Anthony, NM (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Dec 9, 2007
County: Dona Ana
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Jose L. Castro
A December raid on a suspected cockfighting operation has netted a conviction, fines and a suspended jail sentence for one participant.
Jose L. Castro was convicted Thursday under the state's new cockfighting ban for his participation in a cockfighting event last December in Anthony, N.M. Magistrate Judge Olivia Nevarez-Garcia ordered a suspended 188 days in jail sentence, $500 fine with $250 suspended, and a $367 fine paid to the court.
Judge Nevarez-Garcia also told Castro that if he ever came back to her court again for cockfighting, he would serve jail time for the offense if convicted.
Attorney General Gary King's Animal Cruelty Task force worked with the Doņa Ana County Sheriff's Department and animal control in serving a search warrant on a property in Anthony, N.M. on Dec. 9, 2007. The raid, in response to an anonymous tip, resulted in four individuals receiving citations for cockfighting and the seizure of 75 roosters. One of those arrested subsequently pleaded guilty, paid fines, served four days in jail and is now on probation.
Castro decided to take his chances in court.
Heather Ferguson, a task force member, was there during the raid last December and had high praise for the sheriff's department and animal control officers who conducted the bust.
"These men and women were fantastic in the way they quickly mobilized and executed the raid," Ferguson said. "The AG's task force recently honored these very same people for their hard work and dedication to keeping animals from being abused and enforcing New Mexico laws."
This is the first cockfighting prosecution in which the AG's task force was involved and underscores the positive outcome of interagency collaboration on such cases. References
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