Cockfighting - 3 live, 2 dead roosters seized - Barren Springs, VA

Saturday, Jan 10, 2009

County: Wythe

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged:
» Randy Allen Rakes
» Larry Ray Cline , Jr.
» Ronald Dale Gravley

A trio of Wythe County men accused of holding a cockfight on a weekday afternoon in January made appearances Thursday in Wythe County General District Court.

All three had misdemeanor charges dropped by the Wythe County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office in exchange for their waiver of scheduled preliminary hearings on their felony animal fighting charges.

A grand jury will consider the felony charges on April 20 and decide if the commonwealth's evidence is sufficient to try the men in Wythe County Circuit Court.

Two of the men, Ivanhoe residents Randy Allen Rakes, 24, and Larry Ray Cline Jr., 30, also continue to face felony child endangerment charges stemming from what officers described as a bloody scene of animal violence for sport.

Police previously said children were in the area of the cockfight, but weren't directly involved in the activity.
The pair have preliminary hearings on the child endangerment charges scheduled in Wythe County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court on March 3.

On Thursday, Rakes and 38-year-old Ronald Dale Gravley of Barren Springs, at whose residence police say the cockfight took place, sat at the front of the right side of the courtroom, while Cline sat on the left side in the back row.

All three men posted bond after their arrests and continued to remain free after their court appearances Thursday.

Rakes and Gravley appeared to be unfazed by the charges against them, repeatedly laughing and joking with one another and others in the courtroom in the minutes before the hearing and during a short court recess.

Capt. Doug Tuck of the Wythe County Sheriff's Office and two other uniformed men who appeared ready to testify against the defendants Thursday also shared laughs with the pair, although Tuck turned serious after the hearing as he told Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Alex Cloud that he would be presenting strong evidence against the trio to the grand jury.

Cline acted more subdued throughout the day's proceedings, only briefly responding to occasional queries shouted back at him from his co-defendants.

Outside the courthouse after the hearings, Cline didn't stop when asked if he had any comments about his charges while

Rakes and Gravley joked about media coverage of their arrests.

Rakes also expressed confidence that his felony child endangerment charge wouldn't hold up in court before dashing to his car while lightheartedly shouting profanities about the cold weather.

After arresting the trio in early January, police said they seized five roosters (three living and two dead), spurs, scales and other items associated with cockfighting.

The officers said they also discovered a cockfighting ring set up in a small shed near Gravley's residence. They reported that when they arrived, one of the men was pulling a rooster out of the ring, while another bird lay dying from its wounds.

Police said both birds were wearing spurs and appeared to have been fighting seconds earlier as there was blood in the ring.

During Thursday's court session, Gravley, wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt tucked into jeans, was the first of the defendants to appear before Judge J.D. Bolt.

Bolt accepted nolle prosequi motions from Cloud on Gravley's misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession and animal cruelty after Gravley agreed to waive his right to a preliminary hearing on a felony charge of engaging animals in fighting for "amusement, sport or gain."

A nolle prosequi motion isn't equivalent to an acquittal and allows the prosecutors to charge defendants again with the same crime if additional circumstances arise.

Cline, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved red shirt, also had identical misdemeanor charges dropped and similarly waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

Rakes' court appearance (and attire) mirrored that of his co-defendants, although he did not face a marijuana possession charge.

If convicted of the animal fighting felony, a class 6 offense, the men each face jail time of one to five years or a maximum one year jail sentence and a maximum fine of $2,500.

According to court records, all Rakes and Cline have been convicted of multiple other offenses in recent years, including hunting without a license and trespassing for Rakes and unlawful deer killing and marijuana possession for Cline.

Gravley had no previous charges listed in online Wythe County General District Court or Circuit Court records.

References

• SWVAtoday.com - Feb 20, 2009

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