Case Details

24 pit bulls seized, dog-fighting suspected
Tampa, FL (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Sep 21, 2004
County: Hillsborough
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged:
» James Edward Keister, Jr
» Anastasia Concepcion Usher

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 2752
Classification: Fighting, Neglect / Abandonment
Animal: dog (pit-bull)
View more cases in FL (US)
Login to Watch this Case

Police and Hillsborough County Animal Control officers confiscated two dozen pit bull dogs living in one side of a duplex on 11th Street near Linebaugh Avenue. A city ordinance allows only four animals in a home.

Twelve of the dogs are adults. Some are obviously thin, others have marks on them. Animal control officers say 12 puppies appear to be healthy.

Investigators believe James Keister Jr. was breeding the dogs for fighting.

"There are numerous books and pictures in here describing the animals, their conditions, their pedigrees and possibly also some stuff relating to the dog fighting world, " says Tampa Police Officer Greg Hattle.

Tampa police say they haven�t been able to talk with Keister. He wasn�t home while the duplex was being searched. Police say in July they confiscated nine pit bull dogs from the same home.

The dogs removed today are being evaluated at the Hillsborough County Animal Shelter.

Case Updates

Two weeks after 24 pit bulls were seized from a duplex, followed by an investigation of whether they were used for fighting, two tenants face animal cruelty charges.
James E. Keister Jr., 24, and Anastasia C. Usher, 26, were arrested Tuesday, Tampa police said. Keister was charged with facilitating animal fighting, two counts of cruelty to animals, three counts of confinement of animals without food and water, felony possession of a firearm, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and animals as a public nuisance. Keister also was charged with child abuse. Usher was charged with animals as a public nuisance, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, promoting animal fighting, two counts of cruelty to animals, and three counts of confinement of animals without food and water.

Police seized 12 adult dogs and 12 puppies from 10004 N. 14th St. on Sept. 21. Some were missing fur and had scars on their muzzles, police said.

Keister was being held Wednesday at Orient Road Jail, with bail at $34,000. Usher was released on $1,500 bail.
Source: TBO.Com - Oct 7, 2004
Update posted on Oct 6, 2004 - 11:58PM 

Neighborhood Map

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Back to Top

Add this case to:   Del.icio.us | Digg | Furl Furl |

References

See video )
St. Petersburg Times - Sept 22, 2004
ABC Action News

« FL State Animal Cruelty Map

Add to GoogleNot sure what these icons mean? Click here.

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.



Send this page to a friend
© Copyright 2001-2007 Pet-Abuse.Com. All rights reserved. Site Map ¤ Disclaimer ¤ Privacy Policy