Dog-fighting
Bassfield, MS (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, May 26, 2009
County: Jefferson Davis
Disposition: Alleged
Abuser names unreleased
A dog fighting ring busted just outside Bassfield by the Jefferson Davis County Sheriff's Department could lead to the arrest of nearly 20 people.
Jeff Davis Sheriff Henry McCullum said 11 people have been arrested in connection with the incident, which resulted in two dogs being euthanized. He said up to eight more arrests could be made soon.
McCullum said dog fighting has not previously been a problem in the county. He said officials are attempting to pile up charges to show how serious the county is about dog fighting.
"We're trying to get our charges in line, but this is the first time we've had to do this," he said. "There's statutes we're going through to see which ones will be the most beneficial to make sure this kind of stuff won't happen in our county.
"Animals are animals, and when you take animals and put them in a pit to fight for their lives, we're not going to have that."
McCullum said he didn't know how many dogs were taken into custody or to get treatment from a veterinarian. He said he could not discuss the evidence collected.
Debra Boswell, executive director of the Mississippi Animal Rescue League, said seven dogs were brought to that shelter. Only five remain in their custody after severe injuries led to two euthanizations.
"[The remaining dogs] are in fair condition, some have had some recent or fresh wounds," she said. "Some have scars that are consistent with dog fighting."
Boswell said the dogs are evidence of the state of Mississippi to be used in prosecution. She said this evidence is key in charging those arrested.
"Some of these owners think that if you don't catch them fighting that they can't be charged and that is not the case at all," she said.
Boswell said the dogs in the shelter's care have old wounds including puncture wounds. She said their condition upon arrival was consistent with dogs trained for fighting.
"Basically, they're a little underweight, which is typical because it increases their stamina," she said. "The two that had the worst wounds straight from the fighting pit would be very graphic to describe those." References |
