Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Dog-fighting - 13 dogs seized

Dog-fighting - 13 dogs seized
Marrero, LA (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Apr 5, 2006
County: Jefferson
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted
Charges: Felony CTA, Felony Non-CTA

Abusers/Suspects:
» Yolanda M. James
» Mark James

Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

Case ID: 7995

Classification: Fighting

Animal: dog (pit-bull)

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Child or elder neglect

A Marrero mother and son have been booked on dozens of counts of dogfighting and animal cruelty after an early-morning raid at their home on April 5 turned up 13 scarred and damaged pit bulls, State Police said.

Trooper Dwight Robinette, a spokesman for the agency's Gaming Division, said officers executed a search warrant at the Becker Street home of Yolanda James, 41, and Mike James, 24, and located the dogs, dogfighting paraphernalia, two handguns and several ounces of marijuana. Ten adult pit bulls and three puppies were taken into custody by the Louisiana SPCA, he said.

Yolanda James and Mike James were booked with 24 counts of dogfighting, 14 counts of animal cruelty, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of firearms and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, Robinette said. Both were being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna without bail.

The arrests are part of yearlong undercover operation in which State Police officers bought several puppies with champion dogfighting pedigrees from the suspects, Robinette said. He declined to discuss how the dog-breeding operation was infiltrated or how it was brought to authorities' attention.

Robinette did say that in the past few years the Gaming Division has targeted dog-breeding and dogfighting operations. State Police statistics show that officers have arrested 120 people and have seized more than 630 fighting dogs as a result of their investigations in the past 12 months. State Police do not expect to make any more arrests in the Marrero case, Robinette said.

Case Updates

A mother and son were found guilty of dog fighting in Jefferson Parish Criminal District Court last week.

The case against Yolanda and Mark James of Becker Street in Marrero stems from an April 5, 2006, arrest that followed a raid by the Louisiana State Police�s Gaming Division.

State police began an investigation into the Jameses after they learned of a classified ad offering "dead game puppies for sale." Undercover agents posing as buyers said they built a case based on comments from the Jameses that their puppies would fight to the death. Police also said the Jameses admitted they had dead dogs. Agents said they found dog fighting injuries on adult dogs on the property.

State police called in the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to recover 10 adult pit bulls and three puppies.

Kathryn Destreza, LASPCA's director of humane law enforcement, testified Tuesday in the trial. Destreza said two dogs had wounds and scarring consistent with illegal dog fighting.

�Most of the dogs had demodex mange, all had intestinal worms and three had motor oil on them," she said.

"This type of dog fighter is often indicative of amateur or street level dog fighting," she said. "We see it with backyard breeder types, like the individuals in this case, that spend little money on proper vet care and are often involved in other crimes.�

In addition to being booked with dog fighting in the 2006 arrest, the Jameses were also booked with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of firearms and animal cruelty.

Source: New Orleans City Business - May 25, 2007
Update posted on May 29, 2007 - 1:44PM

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Yolanda and Mark James appeared in Jefferson Parish Court on February 26 to face dog-fighting, weapons, and drug charges. The charges stem from an April 2006 raid at their home that reportedly turned up 13 scarred and injured pit bulls. In addition to the dogs, dogfighting paraphernalia, two handguns and several ounces of marijuana were allegedly seized. The trial has been set for May 21, 2007 at 9:00 a.m.

Source: Case # 06-1980
Update posted on Feb 27, 2007 - 2:30PM

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Yolanda James and son Mark James will appear in court next on February 26, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. in Jefferson Parish Court. The two face charges of dogfighting and animal cruelty after a raid at their home April 5, 2006 turned up 13 scarred and damaged pit bulls, State Police said. In addition to the injured dogs, dogfighting paraphernalia, two handguns and several ounces of marijuana were allegedly seized.

Source: Case # 06-1980
Update posted on Feb 16, 2007 - 8:21PM

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References

The Times-Picayune - April 6, 2006

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Dog-fighting - 13 dogs seizedMarrero, LA (US)

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Dog-fighting - 13 dogs seized
Marrero, LA (US)