Dog-fighting - 11 adult dogs and 5 puppies seized
Austell, GA (US)Incident Date: Monday, Mar 24, 2008
County: Cobb
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 2 files available
Alleged:
» Michael E. Sweeney
» Erik M. Vann
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
The 16 pit bulls were tethered with logging chains. Attached to each dog's collar were two 5-pound weights to help them build neck and leg strength for fighting.
They had no bedding, even when outside temperatures dropped below freezing. They had plenty of wounds. But no food.
The 11 adults and five puppies were malnourished and underweight when police raided the 5-acre dog-fighting training center on South Gordon Road in Austell on Monday.
Michael E. Sweeney, 45, and Erik M. Vann, 28, both of Austell, were each charged with 16 counts of animal cruelty and dog fighting, a felony in Georgia, police said.
The information about the dogs and the conditions is outlined in arrest warrants.
The animals were taken to Cobb County Animal Control, said Officer Cassie Reece, a spokeswoman of the Cobb Police Department.
Acting on a tip from the Humane Society of the United States, police raided the property after a two-month investigation.
Vann told police that he and Sweeney had been involved in dog fighting "for a couple of months," according to Vann's arrest warrant.
Dog-fighters put weights on dog's collars as a way of "strengthening the dogs' necks and rear legs," according to the warrant.
Police also found 105 grams crack cocaine, which was packaged for sale, a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, and a .22 caliber Ruger revolver at the property., according to the warrants.
Sweeney and Vann also were charged with cocaine trafficking, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and theft by receiving stolen property - the Ruger.
Police also arrested five people on misdemeanor marijuana possession charges. They were: Barbara J. Jennings, 42; Kimberly J. Jenkins, 40; and Esther E. Bravo,39, all of Austell; and Lasunda S. McQueen, 25, of Selma, Ala.; and Jackqulin N. Bagley, 33, of Sylacauga, Ala.
Bagley also was charged with giving a false name and date of birth.
They were being held at the Cobb County jail.
Case UpdatesChuck Simmons could see the dogs through his binoculars. They didn't look healthy. He saw people going in and out of the South Gordon Road property in Austell.
And he heard the roar of the ATV engines, a telltale sign to the veteran law enforcement officer.
Dogs can be tied to the back of all-terrain vehicles and forced to run behind them, Simmons said. It builds stamina in fighting dogs.
Simmons, who was acting on an anonymous tip, took his findings to investigators in Cobb.
The dogs -11 adults and five puppies- were seized this week by members of the Marietta-Cobb-Smyrna Organized Crime Intelligence Unit, Cobb police and animal control officers. Two men, Michael Sweeney, 45, and Erik Vann, 28, have been charged with 16 felony counts of dog fighting.
The tip that led to their arrests came through a toll-free number established in January by Greg Norred, founder of the Atlanta private security firm Norred & Associates.
"I'm just passionate about animal rights," Norred said.
More than 100 calls have come to the phone line, 877-847-4787, including some from Tennessee and Mississippi.
He started the phone line with the Humane Society of the United States, which offers an award of up to $5,000 to callers whose tips lead to a conviction. The calls are confidential.
The toll-free phone line in Georgia is the first of its kind in the country for the Humane Society, which is considering establishing a national number, said John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues.
The call about the Cobb property came in shortly after the line was created, said Simmons, a private investigator for Norred.
Simmons, who follows up on calls to the number, said the raid in Cobb is the first one in Georgia based on a call to the tip line.
"We want to eliminate all dog fighting on Georgia," said Simmons, who's been a cop in Georgia and Florida.
Goodwin said Georgia still has weak dogfighting laws and hopes the Cobb arrests will draw attention to the need for stronger legislation.
House Bill 301 would strengthen the law, establishing a minimum fine of $5,000 or one to five years in prison.
Meanwhile, the Austell dogs were "doing well" Wednesday, said Robert Quigley, a spokesman for Cobb County.
"Some are malnourished," Quigley said. "Some have injuries. Our staff is following the recommendations of the veterinarian to help them recover." | Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Mar 26, 2008
Update posted on Apr 1, 2008 - 1:47PM |
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