County deputies ambushed about a dozen men as they rooted on a pair of pit bulls locked in a back yard dog fight on the afternoon of April 8, police said.
Police arrested two and seized the fighting dogs, which were wounded and bloody from the cruel contest, said Lt. Martin Shifflet of the sheriff's department.
Gerald Lindsey, 37, of 500 Dellwood Ave. and Quincy Waddell, 26, of 205 Union St. both were taken into custody and booked into the county jail on felony dog fighting charges.
The police received an anonymous tip about a man pulling up to Lindsey's Dellwood Avenue home and leading a pit bull into the back yard � a location the caller claimed often was used for organized dog fights, police said.
Two deputies arrived about 3:30 p.m. and reportedly spied through gaps in the broken back yard fence where about a dozen men were cheering on two pit bulls tearing at each other with their teeth. About half the men � including Lindsey, who according to police records runs 6-foot-7 and 450 pounds � were perched atop a picnic table as they egged the dogs on.
Additional deputies were called in and as they entered the yard the crowd dashed into Lindsey's house, police said. The deputies contacted county animal control to take custody of the dogs and the police grabbed Lindsey and Waddell.
One of the pit bulls was taken to a veterinarian to be examined and treated, said Dr. Leroy Schild, the director of county animal control. The other was transported to Joliet Township Animal Control to be held pending the completion of the police investigation, Schild said.
None of the 10 or so other men gathered in Lindsey's yard to allegedly take in the Friday fights was arrested or charged.
Deputies did reportedly locate $700 cash on Waddell while searching him. The money was seized.
It was not clear if police believed the cash was money gambled on the dog fight. It also was not clear Friday if Waddell is gainfully employed.
Lindsey's alleged predilection for pit bulls apparently has led him onto the wrong side of the law in the past.
A man with Lindsey's identifiers was arrested in 1998 after police broke up a dog fight on Elmwood Avenue, according to The Herald News files. Three other men also were taken into custody and the dogs were seized.
Lindsey also was arrested in 1996 following a raid on a Norton Avenue residence that turned up a half-dozen pit bulls, files revealed.
Agents with the Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad and Joliet police reportedly discovered the six dogs and 23-grams of marijuana after executing a search warrant on the house, according to the newspaper's files. Lindsey was arrested during the raid on a charge of delivery of cannabis. Case UpdatesPolice will not return money seized from a man accused of running a dog-fighting ring, a judge decided Wednesday.
Quincy Waddell, 26, of 205 Union Ave., Apt. 5, Joliet, and Gerald Lindsey, 37, of 500 Dellwood Ave., Lockport Township, were arrested by sheriff's police in April and charged with the felony crime.
On the day of the arrest, someone called police and said a man was leading a pit bull dog into the back yard of Lindsey's home. The tipster said the yard often was used for dog fights, police said. When officers arrived, they saw a dozen men cheering as two dogs fought. Police made several arrests and took $700 from Waddell.
On Wednesday, Jason Strzelecki, Waddell's lawyer, asked Judge Robert Livas to return the money. Strzelecki argued that Waddell has been charged with running a dog-fighting ring for entertainment, not for profit. Because of that fact, the money should be returned to Waddell, he said.
Strzelecki also said Waddell had the money because he recently had cashed his income tax return check.
Will County Assistant State's Attorney Nicole Moore objected to his request.
"(The money) does go to show the dog-fighting occurred, it occurred for entertainment," Moore said.
Livas agreed with Moore. He ordered Waddell and Lindsay to return to court at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 21. | Source: Herald-News - Nov 10, 2005
Update posted on Nov 11, 2005 - 7:42PM |
Judge Robert Livas is presiding over the case. Both men were in court Friday.
The judge noted their trials were scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Jan. 23. Waddell's lawyer said his client wants the judge to decide if his money can be returned to him. Livas said he will consider the issue at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 14. | Source: The Herald News - Oct 1, 2005
Update posted on Oct 1, 2005 - 10:15AM |
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