Dog-fighting - 25 dogs seized Bainbridge, GA (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 2, 2005 County: Decatur Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Charges: Felony CTA Alleged: » Terry Bernard Jackson » Collen Jerome James

Case ID: 5298 Classification: Fighting Animal: dog (pit-bull) View more cases in GA (US) Login to Watch this Case

Two Bainbridge men were arrested on the night of Aug 2 on the felony charge of dogfighting after police found evidence 25 pit bull dogs were being trained to fight each other.

Shortly before 10 p.m. on Aug 2, Bainbridge Public Safety officers received a tip that a dog fight, which is illegal under state law, was taking place at the old city landfill located off Avenue C in south Bainbridge.

After an investigation at the landfill and a nearby residence, police arrested two men for dogfighting: Terry Bernard Jackson, 41, of 152 Pineywoods Drive in Bainbridge, and Collen Jerome James, 27, of 1536 Gee St. in Bainbridge. James was also charged with 16 counts of cruelty to animals and violating Bainbridge ordinances requiring dogs have identification tags and rabies vaccinations.

Sgt. David Cutchin stated that while en route to the landfill, he observed three men walking on Avenue C near its intersection with Gee Street. Sgt. Cutchin stated he saw one of the men, identified as Jackson, holding a leash attached to a badly injured pit bull.

Cutchin placed Jackson, James and a third man identified as Tristan Jerome Wade, 28, under arrest. However, Wade was later released without being charged. BPS Investigator Frank Green said Wade was present at the landfill during a dog fight on Tuesday evening but did not participate in making the dogs fight.

Sgt. Cutchin contacted Investigator Frank Green, Animal Control Officer Chuck Wesley and experienced pit bull handler Gregg Soper to the scene. Green said 25 pit bulls, including 16 mature dogs and nine puppies, were found in the yard outside James� residence. Most of them were injured and some had fresh wounds, he said. Some of the dogs were scarred and had mangled ears, apparently a result of fighting, Green said.

Cutchin stated the dog kennel outside James� home was in bad condition. The dogs were chained to tree limbs, stumps and stakes; some of the chains were very tangled, he stated. Trash, debris and dog feces covered the area.

�Some dogs had food and water but several had no fresh water. Most of the dogs were malnourished and several had infected wounds. One dog, which was tied to an old junk car bumper, was unable to walk on his own and others were bleeding from the mouth,� Sgt. Cutchin wrote in an incident report.

Cutchin and Green went to the landfill. Green took pictures of shoe tracks at the landfill and later confronted the suspects with them. The investigator interviewed the men and stated he learned they had gone to the landfill earlier that night with a bulldog belonging to Jackson and one of James� pit bulls. James and Jackson encouraged the dogs to fight and they did so, Green stated. However, the fight was broken up when two people in a truck passed by the scene.

Wesley took the 25 pit bull dogs to the city�s animal shelter, where Humane Society volunteers scrambled to make room for them and take care of their needs. Volunteer Pam Immendorf said on Aug 3 that while the dogs were injured and had been made to fight, many of them were sweet-natured. However, volunteers evaluated the dogs� condition some of them were euthanized after James gave his permission, Green said.

Immendorf pointed out the dogs� injuries on Aug 3. She said some of the dogs� ears had been cut back with razor blades so they would not be a target for other dogs to bite during a fight. One dog with a normal ear had almost had it severed, apparently from a bite. Another had a large abscess on the side of his face. Even some of the younger dogs showed evidence of scarring, Immendorf said.

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The Post Searchlight - Aug 5, 2005

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