Dog-fighting - suspect charged in 2 states - Franklinville, NC

Monday, May 24, 2010

County: Randolph

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Jeffrey Lynn Denny

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

The Humane Society of the United States says a major figure in the dog fighting world has been arrested in Bedford County. As WSLS first broke on Tuesday, The Humane Society says Jeffrey Denny has acknowledged selling hundreds of dogs for breeding or fighting all over the country.

The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office says Denny drove from North Carolina to the Montvale Exxon Monday evening, where they say Denny attempted to sell a pit bull to an undercover deputy. Two pit bulls were seized along with Denny’s van, which is crammed full of dog crates.

Sheriff Mike Brown says Denny planned to continue driving to Charleston, West Virginia, where Denny had made arrangements to sell the second dog. The sheriff’s office doesn’t know anything about the person in West Virginia who wanted to buy the second dog, other than that person is not a police officer.

Police in North Carolina searched Denny’s Franklinville Home where sixteen more dogs were seized. Police also found the following items related to dog fighting; break sticks, needles and syringes, an auto suture gun, a tool box containing medical supplies, medications and veterinary supplies, IV supplies and saline solution, mineral supplements, dog collars and a dog harness. Police also seized eight guns and ammunition, drug paraphernalia and computer and written records from the home.

Denny faces one felony charge in Bedford County for transporting animals for fighting. After court proceedings here, Denny will be returned to North Carolina to face sixteen felony dog fighting charges, eleven misdemeanor dog cruelty charges and one felony count for possession of drug paraphernalia. Denny, who the sheriff says has a previous drug conviction, is also facing federal felony charges for illegal firearm possession by the ATF. The sheriff says there is a possibility Denny could be charged federally on the dog fighting charges because he crossed a state line, but that the feds have not been asked to get involved and the charges will be handled locally.

The sheriff’s office says Denny planned to sell the two pit bulls for $900 each. Deputies seized $392 from Denny’s van.

Denny is being held without bond at the Bedford Adult Detention Center. The two dogs are being held as evidence at the Bedford County Animal Shelter. An animal control officer tells us after the court proceedings, the judge will decide if the dogs can be adopted based on reccomendations of animal control officers and shelter workers.

The Humane Society of the United States used its mobile animal cruelty lab in this investigation. The vehicle features two fully functional veterinary exam rooms and ultraviolet lights and devices to detect blood and body fluids. A veterinarian used the lab to look for fighting related injuries on the dogs found in North Carolina.

Case Updates

A North Carolina man has been found guilty of trying to sell dogs for dog fighting in Bedford County. Jeffrey Denny was convicted Tuesday afternoon. Investigators say he is a major player in national dog fighting circles. Denny was arrested last summer, attempting to sell a pit bull to an undercover officer. He was originally charged with two counts of felony dog fighting but prosecutors offered a reduced charge. They ended up settling on one misdemeanor of aiding and abetting dog fighting. That means he will not face any additional jail time. The commonwealth attorney's office says Denny did tell the undercover officer on telephone recordings, that he would not sell the dog if it would be used for fighting. Later, he reportedly told him, if the animal was going to be used for illegal purposes, he didn't want to know about it. Prosecutors believe Denny was there to sell the dogs to fight and was hoping to cover himself from any criminal charges. "He had a friend who was arrested previously for bringing dogs up to sell and he was a little, very cautious to coming up to sell a dog for those purposes," said Bedford County Prosecutor Mark Robinette. The two dogs he was attempting to sell, were turned over to the humane society and have been adopted. Denny is still facing numerous counts of dog fighting and cruelty to animals, at his home in Randolph County North Carolina.

Source: wset.com - Mar 8, 2011 Update posted on Mar 14, 2011 - 2:31PM

The lawyer for a man accused in Bedford County of selling a pit bull for fighting suggested in court Wednesday that investigators had improperly entrapped him into selling the dog. A judge in Bedford County General District Court said, nonetheless, there is sufficient evidence to send the felony charge of promoting animal fighting against Jeffrey Lynn Denny, 36, to a grand jury in November. The grand jury will determine if Denny should stand trial. Denny, of Franklinville, N.C., drove to Montvale on May 24 and sold a female pit bull to an informant working for the sheriff's department. The informant testified that he paid Denny $800 for the dog, plus $100 for training. However, Denny's lawyer, Andrew Davis, said Denny repeatedly told the buyer he was selling the dog only on the condition that it not be made to fight. "Did Mr. Denny advise you that he could not and would not sell the dog if it was going to be used to fight?" Davis asked the informant. "That's what he said," the informant replied on the witness stand. The informant also said he kept calling Denny to arrange the sale even after Denny said he wasn't interested in selling the pit bull for combat. The informant added that he repeatedly told Denny he intended to pit the dog against a dog of similar weight owned by a group of people from West Virginia. Even after hearing that, Denny went through with the sale, the informant testified. Denny's actions show criminal intent, regardless of what he may have said before the sale, said Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Mark Robinette. Bedford County authorities insist that Denny is a well-known breeder among those who stage illegal dog fights. In North Carolina, Denny currently faces 16 counts of dogfighting and baiting and 11 counts of animal cruelty. Bedford County sheriff's investigator Ross Sheets testified that authorities began looking into Denny after his name came up during their investigation of William Williams, a North Carolina man who pleaded guilty in May to promoting dogfighting and is awaiting sentencing

Source: Roanoke.com - Sep 30, 2010 Update posted on Dec 3, 2010 - 5:03PM

References

• « NC State Animal Cruelty Map
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