Dog-fighting - 15 dogs seized, 1 fatally injured
Sanderson, FL (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Apr 3, 2010
County: Baker
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available
Defendants/Suspects:
» Omar Aldridge
» Cletus Gaskins
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Deputies arrested two men at a north Sanderson address the evening of April 3 and charged them with fighting pit bulldogs, one of which was so bloodied and severely injured that it had to be put down on the scene.
"Every time his heart beat, you could see the veins, blood squirting out," recalled Georgia Monfort, the county's animal control director. "He was just pumping out."
One of the men, Omar Aldridge, 29, of Starke was also charged with felony child neglect for fleeing into nearby woods off Circle G Lane when police arrived, leaving his 4-year-old son seated on a picnic table in the midst of 14 other fighting dogs -- all but one of them restrained by chains.
Ms. Monfort said some of the chained up animals had to be sedated before they could be taken to the animal shelter on Steel Bridge Road north of Macclenny.
Cletus Gaskins, 37, of Sanderson was charged along with Mr. Aldridge with fighting animals, a third-degree felony, and mutilating or killing them, first-degree misdemeanors.
Deputy Larry Clark said he responded to a residence off Circle G about 9:00 following a report that suspicious persons were in the area with flashlights.
He first found the wounded dog in a cage in the rear of a pickup belonging to Mr. Gaskins, then heard "multiple people" running into the woods and confronted the suspect walking toward the truck covered with blood.
"It appeared to me at the time that the dog was a fighting dog that had just finished fighting,"Deputy Clark noted in his report. When questioned, Mr. Gaskins said he was in the area because the dog had gotten loose and he had taken it there for breeding purposes.
He denied knowledge of anyone fleeing into the woods. The officer found a loaded 9 mm automatic pistol in the front seat of the pickup.
Deputy Clark said he then went to a backyard where the other dogs he described as "agitated and vicious" were tied up. The young boy was taken from the table and placed into a patrol car.
Deputy Clark said the boy was seated alone and when asked the whereabouts of his parents, replied "My daddy ran into the woods with everybody else."
Mr. Aldridge came back to the scene panting and sweating and was halted by the officers when he attempted to enter the rear seat of the police car. He denied that he had fled, and said he left his son with Mr. Gaskins when he went "down the road."
Deputy Clark said he then asked the father why he ran from the scene and left the boy unattended among the pack of dogs. Mr. Aldridge did not respond.
Police then followed what was described as a well-worn path to a dog fighting ring equipped with an overhead light that in turn was powered by an extension cord that had been connected back to a house occupied by a woman not connected to the case. The officer said the ground along the path and ring area were blood-stained.
Deputy Clark also noted bones, including dog bones, strewn about the path.
Among the items seized were a bottle of Blood Stop Powder commonly sold as a coagulant when dehorning animals, two scales and what the officers described as devices for fighting and baiting dogs.
Three other vehicles were parked on the premises with keys in the ignition. As of early this week, the sheriff's department had not learned the identity of others who may have fled the scene that night.
Mr. Gaskins was released from jail on $10,000 bond; Mr. Aldridge on $20,000 bond.
The confiscated pit bulls remained at the animal shelter early this week, awaiting a veterinarian's examination and treatment, which is typical in animal cruelty cases, Ms. Monfort said.
She'd been in contact with the Alachua County Humane Society about a Gainesville-area rescue that rehabilitates pit bulls. However, the society's associate director Eric Van Ness said it's unlikely the rescue would take animals from outside the area, even if there's room for more than a dozen additional dogs.
"The problem is they are really difficult to rehabilitate and make adoptable," he said. "It takes a huge commitment of time and effort and it's never guaranteed."
Once the county gains legal custody of the dogs, which could happen with a judge's order later this week, Ms. Monfort said at least one female puppy, though skittish, could be suitable for adoption. Others may need rehabilitation.
Many of the seized dogs are small and malnourished with old scars; all signs they were likely used as bait for larger, healthier fighting dogs, she said.
"We just take each day as it comes," said Ms. Monfort.
Case UpdatesWhen police seized 13 dogs in April 2010, animal cruelty and dogfighting charges were subsequently brought against Cletus Gaskins and Omar Aldridge. Reportedly running away from the officers on the scene and leaving his four-year-old son behind in the process, Aldridge was also charged with child neglect.
On March 8, 2011 Gaskins and Aldridge entered no contest pleas to charges of both cruelty to animals and fighting or baiting animals - both felonies under Florida law. The prosecution will present its sentencing recommendations to Judge Rosier at a hearing on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 2:00 p.m.
Local residents are encouraged to support the prosecution by attending the court proceedings at:
Clerk of the Circuit Court, Criminal Division
8th Judicial Circuit
Baker County Courthouse
339 East Macclenny Avenue
Macclenny, FL 32063
904-259-0206 | Source: aldf.org - Mar 22, 2011
Update posted on Mar 23, 2011 - 11:51AM |
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