Dog-fighting
Memphis, TN (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Jun 2, 2011
County: Shelby

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged:
» Darryl Cross
» A Juvenile

Bobby Tittle says she came to her front window Thursday after hearing a loud commotion.

"We heard some hollering and yelping, so we looked down the driveway and there was a guy just leaning on the fence watching two dogs and then he grabbed the little one and threw it over in the middle of them," said Tittle.

Tittle says she was witnessing dog fighting in her neighbor's backyard.

And she wasn't the only person who heard the commotion. A Memphis Police Officer was driving by at the time with her windows down.

"She heard it, stopped, backed up and pulled into the curb and went running up the driveway," added Tittle.

38-year-old Darryl Cross is now facing charges of animal or cockfighting.

Cross' fiancé's 11-year old son was also taken into custody.

According to an affidavit, the officer observed Cross encouraging the boy to throw two puppies over a fence into an area with three pit bull dogs.

Memphis Police say that Cross was agitating the pit bull dogs by shaking the fence and yelling, causing them to attack the puppy.

"They moved in just a few months ago. Then the dogs came in and we would see them trying to make them fight," added Tittle.

Animal Control took 5 animals from the home: three pit bulls and two puppies which were at the center of the action. One of the puppies had to be put down this morning. And the same could happen to the others.

"In a situation like this you have animals that have not been socialized correctly , that have been taught aggressive behavior, and they become challenging at best and impossible to place into a home," said Matthew Pepper from the Memphis Animal Shelter.

The 11-year-old was released from Juvenile Hall to his parents' custody.

Cross is due in court Monday morning.

The dogs will remain at the Memphis Animal Shelter until Cross' case is heard.

References

« Back to Search Results
« TN State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Shelby County, TN

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.