Attorneys/Judges
| Judge(s): | Beverly W. Snukals |
Dog Fighting - 12 Pit Bulls Seized
Richmond, VA (US)Incident Date: Friday, May 21, 2004
County: Richmond City
Charges: Misdemeanor, Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Richard Edmond Antonio Robinson
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
When Richmond police searched Richard Robinson's South Side home for drugs in May 2004, they found Twelve pit bulls were chained to automobile axles driven in to the backyard of the home.
The dogs were on short chains.The dogs had no water on the very hot day. Animal control officers and a veterinarian listed half the dogs as malnourished, and some of them had scars on their faces and front legs as if they had been involved in fights.
Inside the house, animal-control officers found paraphernalia and documents indicating that Robinson was involved in dogfighting.
Robinson, 29, was charged originally with 12 counts each of dogfighting and animal cruelty. On March 21, Circuit Judge Beverly W. Snukals convicted Robinson of one felony count of dogfighting and six misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals.
Snukals said the evidence was overwhelming that Robinson was engaged in the activity of dogfighting, but none of the documents seized in the home identified any of the seized dogs as having been involved in a fight.
Documentation of the condition of the other six dogs did not support a finding that they had been underfed, she said. Snukals set sentencing for May 18. The maximum penalty on the dogfighting count is five years. The maximum penalty for each cruelty count is 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.
Mark T. Kumpf, superintendent of the animal services division in Newport News and an expert on dogfighting, identified several items seized from Robinson's home as consistent with professional dogfighting: a treadmill, harnesses designed so that weights could be attached to harnesses to increase the dogs' strength and stamina, and medical supplies that could be used to treat a dog injured in a fight so that he would not have to be taken to a veterinarian.
Kumpf also interpreted such documents as two certificates taken from a wall in Robinson's home with his name on them. They listed in code the pedigree of the dogs and the number of fights that they had won, Kumpf said.
Robinson also has been charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it and possession of the drug and a firearm at the same time. He is scheduled for trial on those charges next month.
Case numbers:
CR04F02801-00 dog fighting
CR04M02792-00 cruelty
CR04M02793-00 cruelty
CR04M02794-00 cruelty
CR04M02795-00 cruelty
CR04M02796-00 cruelty
CR04M02797-00 cruelty
Case UpdatesA 29-year-old South Richmond man was sentenced yesterday to 12 months in jail on charges of dogfighting and cruelty to animals.
Richard Robinson was charged after Richmond police searched his home for drugs in May 2004.
Detectives found 12 pit bulls chained to automobile axles that had been driven into the ground in the backyard. The animals were on chains just short enough to keep from reaching any other dog.
The dogs had no water on a very hot day, and some of their food bowls had a green growth on them.
Animal-control officers and a veterinarian listed half of the dogs as malnourished, and some of them had scars on their faces and front legs as if they had been involved in fights.
Inside the house, animal-control officers found paraphernalia and documents indicating that Robinson was involved in dogfighting.
At his trial in March, Circuit Judge Beverly W. Snukals said the evidence was overwhelming that Robinson was engaged in dogfighting, even though no documents or photos in the home identified any of the dogs in the backyard as having been involved in a fight.
A veterinarian described the animals as "extremely hyper-aggressive dogs." The veterinarian also said the animals would kill another dog and be a danger to people.
Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Michelle Welch said at the trial that the dogs probably would have to be destroyed because they had been trained for viciousness.
However, the Sunday night after the trial, someone broke into the city pound and took Robinson's dogs and one other animal that was being held as evidence of dogfighting, Welch said.
"We haven't determined where the dogs went" or who was responsible for the break-in, she said.
In sentencing Robinson, Snukals also fined him $2,500 and told him that he will be responsible for the cost of housing the six dogs he was convicted of abusing.
Welch said charges against Robinson of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it and possessing a gun and the drug at the same time were withdrawn because of difficulty in coordinating witnesses.
The charges may be reinstated, she said. | Source: Time Dispatch - May 10. 2005
Update posted on May 10, 2005 - 2:04PM |
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