Animal Abuse: Dog-fighting - 18 dogs seized - Tampa, FL | Pet-Abuse.Com Animal Cruelty Database

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Case ID: 13565

Classification: Fighting

Animal: dog (pit-bull)

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Attorneys/Judges

Prosecutor(s):	Natalia Silver, Lindsay Marie Mueller
Defense(s):	Jennifer Welker, Mark Rodriguez, Mary J. Arena
Judge(s):	Wayne S Timmerman, Chet A. Tharpe, William Fuente

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Dog-fighting - 18 dogs seized
Tampa, FL (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008
County: Hillsborough

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged:
» Maurice Franklin Bayless - Convicted
» Celena Danielle Brantley - Convicted

Case Updates: 7 update(s) available

A Tampa man fought dogs and trained the animals to fight, police say.

Police arrested Maurice F. Bayless, 46, of Tampa on Tuesday after a court-ordered search of his home found 18 dogs and dogfighting paraphernalia.

According to an arrest report:

Three of the dogs at 6312 S. Selbourne Ave. had what appeared to be fighting wounds.

Eight were puppies for sale, and one dog was "being conditioned and trained to fight."

Bayless, who has a tattoo on his right arm that says, " 'GOING HARD' DOGS FIGHTING," also possessed scales, injectable medications and training equipment.

He was charged with one count of possessing animal fight paraphernalia, three counts of dogfighting, five counts of possessing animal fight publications/records and three counts of training or breeding dogs for fighting. He also was charged with possessing less than 20 grams of marijuana.

Bayless remained in Orient Road Jail today. His bail was set at $24,500.

Case Updates

Animal cruelty investigators are claiming victory Friday after a judge sentenced a notorious dog fighter to prison.

It's been a long case for Hillsborough County Animal Services. It took nearly three years to get the sentence, but investigators say they've been dealing with 48-year-old Maurice Bayless and his dogs for more than a decade.

It may have been video of Bayless urging his dog to fight that convinced the jury to convict him of dog fighting, or the piles of other evidence, including a certificate of champion for his "Going Hard" kennel.

Friday, Judge William Fuente sentenced him to hard time: two and a half years in state prison, followed by another two and a half years of probation.

The team that investigated Bayless says to let it be a warning to anyone out there fighting and abusing dogs.

"Cruelty and dog fighting will not be tolerated in this county, and this should send a message loud and clear to the citizens of Hillsborough County and people involved in this activity that it's not going to be tolerated, and we will find you," said Pam Perry, with Hillsborough County Animal Services.

Bayless' live-in girlfriend, Celena Brantley, was also found guilty of dog fighting. Judge Fuente sentenced her to 364 days in the county jail, followed by five years of probation.

Investigators also say while they're grateful for this sentence, there are countless other people out there fighting and abusing dogs. They say it is an international problem, with professional fighters traveling all over the world to fight their dogs.

In fact, they have evidence that Bayless has traveled to South America and Puerto Rrico for exactly that purpose.

Source: myfoxtampabay.com - Jan 7, 2011
Update posted on Jan 7, 2011 - 5:27PM

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A dog owner was found guilty today of dog-fighting charges and faces up to five years in prison at his Jan. 7 sentencing, Hillsborough County Animal Services said.

Maurice Bayless, 49, of Tampa, was found guilty on one count of felony animal cruelty, two felony counts of possession of steroids and misdemeanor possession of marijuana, animal services said.

Bayless and his girlfriend, Celena Brantley, 36, of Tampa, were arrested in April 2008 after inspectors with animal services and Tampa police detectives discovered 18 pit bull terriers, three scarred with dog bites, and what they said was dog-fighting paraphernalia.

Last year, Brantley was convicted of five felony charges related to dog fighting. She was convicted of one count of owning equipment for dog fighting; three counts of owning or possessing a dog for fighting for the three battle-scarred dogs; and one count of promoting a dog baiting.

When Bayless was arrested, he had a tattoo on his right arm that said "GOING HARD DOGS FIGHTING."

Journals taken from the house at the time of the 2008 arrest showed Bayless called his operation Going Hard Kennels.

Source: tbo.com - Dec 2, 2010
Update posted on Dec 2, 2010 - 9:35PM

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A man squeezes his legs around a panting pit bull and growls a command.

"Come on," he says.

The dog eyes a second pit bull �" this one scar-faced, a proven fighting champion �" and then lunges.

The squeals last for seconds on a carpet already dotted with brown droplet stains. The champion is yanked from the room, and the panting dog is released to track him.

"Go get him, son."

Prosecutors say the man in the video is Maurice F. Bayless, 49.

He's on trial this week in Hillsborough County on felony charges of baiting, breeding, owning and promoting animals for fighting.

He has caught the attention of Animal Services investigators for more than a decade and has a tattoo of a dog on his arm that says "scratch to win."

In his home off Interbay Boulevard in South Tampa, investigators in April 2008 said they found eight pit bull puppies in a filthy cage and 10 adult dogs, flea-bitten, parasite-infested and tethered by chains.

This was where he ran Going Hard Kennels, a breeding and training ground for dogfighting, prosecutors told jurors Tuesday.

Boxes of evidence fouled the courtroom air and offered glimpses, prosecutors said, of the blood sport underworld.

Assistant State Attorney Natalia Silver wore gloves as she pulled out pieces.

There were weighted collars and vests, used to strengthen dogs' muscles; records of dogfights; underground magazines focused on the sport; a certificate labeling one of Bayless' dogs a champion.

Prosecutors said Bayless kept medical equipment �" syringes, scalpels, sutures, needles.

"This man," Silver said, "would know how to do any type of surgery on a dog that was bitten in a fight."

Bayless' attorney, Mark Rodriguez, said the articles in the boxes couldn't convict his client. Chains and harnesses themselves are legal. The intent behind them could not be demonstrated, he maintained.

"The evidence in this case is going to be woefully lacking as to Mr. Bayless' intent," he said.

Bayless is also charged with marijuana possession and possession of controlled substances. In total, he faces seven felony charges and one misdemeanor. If convicted of all and sentenced consecutively, he could get a maximum of 36 years in prison.

His girlfriend and co-defendant, Celena Brantley, was convicted on similar dogfighting charges last year. She will be sentenced after the Bayless trial.

Marti Ryan, spokeswoman for Hillsborough County Animal Services, said Brantley was the first woman in the United States to be convicted of dogfighting.

The Bayless trial continues today before Circuit Judge William Fuente.

While the judge and jury hear the case, the fate of the victims has already been decided.

At first, when dogs like these are seized, they spend time in a yard where they can exercise and socialize and play, Ryan said. Eventually, they need to be tested to see if they're safe for adoption.

Some dogs are. They're labeled "pit bull ambassadors" and find loving homes. Others, too aggressive, fail the test.

Hillsborough State Attorney's Office spokesman Mark Cox told what happened to the pit bulls in this case:

The puppies were adopted.

The others were euthanized.

Source: tampabay.com - Dec 1, 2010
Update posted on Nov 30, 2010 - 10:48PM

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It's taken almost three years, but a South Tampa man charged with raising dogs to fight is finally on trial.

Exhibit A is home video of what's called "the bump," a new dog's initiation to the fighting ring. You can hear the dog's cries, a measure say prosecutors, of the cruelty of the dog fighting game.

It's a game that investigators say was Maurice Bayless' obsession, with an Interbay house full, they told the jury, of the tools of the trade.

Eight small puppies were found caged, being bred prosecutors say, for the fight. But while the state has a big pile of evidence, Bayless' lawyer is telling the jury it's all circumstantial.

"When you talk about the chains and the dog collars, it is not illegal to possess these things, it's illegal to possess them with the intent to breed the dog in the future. The evidence in this case is going to be woefully lacking, as to Mr. Bayless' intent," said Mark Rodriguez.

Bayless faces prison charged with breeding for dog fighting and animal cruelty, but first prosecutors have to convince the jury. They showed jurors a champion certificate for Bayless' Going Hard Kennels, fight logs listing handlers and breeds, and photos of chained dogs, ten adults investigators say carried the scars of the fight.

But it was the video they kept coming back to, prosecutor Natalia Silver insisting it told the truth about Bayless' intentions.

"You'll see Mr. Bayless encouraging his dog, where he's saying 'come on boy, come on boy,' and you'll see what happens in that video, and the screams that come from the animals. He's a trainer for dog fighting," Silver said.

They also showed jurors a tatoo on Bayless' arm, investigator Ken Vetzel describing it as a tatoo of a pit bull terrier on a rope, and it has the terminology "scratch to win".
Scratch to win is dog fighting lingo for a dog that's ready to fight. The jury expected to get the case Wednesday.

Source: myfoxtampabay.com - Nov 30, 2010
Update posted on Nov 30, 2010 - 9:49PM

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It took jurors less than an hour today to convict a Tampa woman of five felony dog fighting charges.

Celena Brantley, 35, faces up to five years imprisonment on each count. She is slated to be sentenced in October.

Brantley and her boyfriend, Maurice Bayless, 47, were arrested in April 2008 after inspectors with Hillsborough County Animal services and Tampa police detectives discovered 18 pit bull terriers, three scarred with dog bites, and what they said was dog-fighting paraphernalia.

Brantley tried to push the blame toward Bayless during the two-day trial. He will be tried separately.

Assistant State Attorney Natalia Silver told jurors in her closing statement that it was unreasonable to believe Brantley remained in the dark after living with Bayless for two years.

"Ms. Brantley knew and understood everything that was going on in that house," Silver said. "She can't hide from that."

Brantley was convicted of one count of owning equipment for dog fighting; three counts of owning or possessing a dog for fighting for the three battle-scarred dogs; and a count of promoting a dog baiting. She was also convicted of a misdemeanor possessing drug paraphernalia count.

Assistant Public Defender Andres Sanchez called the prosecution's case a string of assumptions and erroneous conclusions.

"You can't find people guilty because they should have known better," he said.

Lisa Centonze, a veterinarian with the Hillsborough County Animal Services, said the wounds found on two of the adult dogs found at the couple's Selbourne Avenue home were consistent with being fought. She said the injuries of a third could have been from fighting or forced breeding, a practice Silver said was popular in the dog-fighting world.

Silver relied on a videotape showing Bayless pitting one of the injured dogs, Roger Ramjet, against another in the couple's home. A woman was using the camera and voiced observations about what was happening.

Cpl. Kenneth Vetzel, an Animal Services inspector, identified the voice as that of Brantley.

Sanchez said his client was never shown on the video and there was no way of knowing when it was shot.

Silver said it was found in the couple's bedroom in a camcorder that was plugged in and charging.
That was the incident of dog baiting of which the jury convicted Brantley.

Testimony showed Roger Ramjet was found wearing a weighted collar authorities said was used to strengthen a dog's neck muscles for fighting. Centonze said there was no medical reason for using such a device.

Silver also presented boxes of medications Centonze said could have been used to treat dogs injured in fights.

Brantley did not testify and called no witnesses.

When he was arrested, Bayless had a tattoo on his right arm that said ""GOING HARD' DOGS FIGHTING''

Journals taken from the house showed Bayless called his operation Going Hard Kennels.

Source: TBO.com - Aug 11, 2009
Update posted on Aug 13, 2009 - 3:33PM

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Testimony began today in the trial of a 35-year-old Tampa woman who, along with her boyfriend, face dog-fighting charges.

Celena Brantley and Maurice Bayless, 47, were arrested in April 2008 after inspectors with Hillsborough County Animal services and Tampa Police detectives discovered 18 dogs and what they said was dog-fighting paraphernalia.

Brantley is being tried separately. Bayless' attorney requested more time to prepare.

Assistant State Attorney Natalia Silver told jurors three of the adult dogs found at the couple's Selbourne Avenue home had wounds consistent with being fought. She said one, named Roger Ramjet, was found wearing a weighted collar she said was used to strengthen a dog's neck muscles.

"He had bite marks on his face, ears and front forearms consistent with animal fighting," she said.
Silver said officers seized "voluminous amounts" of medications used to treat fighting wounds and books and magazines about dog fighting.

Assistant Public Defender Jennifer Welker told jurors the medications were used to "make the dogs feel better" and the weighted collar was used because Roger Ramjet was weak and sickly.

"Sometimes things are just what they are," she said. "It doesn't have to have a sinister reason behind it."

Welker said authorities jumped to conclusions and her client had no participation in dog fighting.

When he was arrested, Bayless had a tattoo on his right arm that said "GOING HARD' DOGS FIGHTING''

Testimony will continue Tuesday.

Source: TBO.com - Aug 10, 2009
Update posted on Aug 10, 2009 - 10:19PM

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A Tampa woman arrested today on charges of fighting dogs is the girlfriend of a man arrested on dogfighting charges this week, an animal services spokeswoman says. Police arrested Celena Danielle Brantley, 33, April 4 afternoon.

On Tuesday, police arrested Maurice F. Bayless, 46, of Tampa on Tuesday after a court-ordered search of his home found 18 dogs and dogfighting paraphernalia.

"They believe she is every bit as involved as he," Hillsborough County Animal Services spokeswoman Marti Ryan said.

Bayless' bail was set at $24,500. He has since been released from jail.

Brantley was charged with four counts of fighting animals, five counts of possessing animal fight publications/records, three counts of training or breeding dogs for fighting and one count each of possessing drug paraphernalia and possessing less than 20 grams of marijuana.

She remained in Orient Road Jail today. Her bail was set at $25,000

Source: MSNBC - April 4, 2008
Update posted on Apr 7, 2008 - 10:22PM

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Dog-fighting - 18 dogs seizedTampa, FL (US)

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Dog-fighting - 18 dogs seized
Tampa, FL (US)