Cockfighting
Chaparral, NM (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Jul 21, 2009
County: Dona Ana

Disposition: Alleged

Abuser names unreleased

Dona Ana County sheriff's officers began serving a search warrant Tuesday evening at a property in Chaparral on reports of a suspected cockfighting operation.

"We definitely have evidence of cockfighting," Animal Control Director Curtis Childress said Tuesday at about 8:30 p.m. Childress said the search started at about 4:30 p.m., and would continue today. He said no arrests had been made as of Tuesday night., and no birds had been removed from the property.

That will likely happen today, Childress said.

"We'll be out here throughout tonight and into tomorrow," Childress said Tuesday. "The collection of birds will probably start tomorrow."

He also said there was the possibility of criminal charges other than cockfighting, for "some of the stuff that they shouldn't be having."

New Mexico became the 49th state in the nation to ban cockfighting in 2007 when the Legislature passed a bill sponsored by Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Do a Ana. In May, the New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld the law.

References

• Silver City Sun-News - July 22, 2009

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