Cockfighting
Greenville, NC (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Apr 8, 2006
County: Pitt
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 1 files available
Alleged:
» Armando Reyna
» Adolfo Morales
» Theresa Saldiva
» Raul Raygoza
» Alejandro Rico Pineda
» Vincente Flores
» Oscar Olivar
» Armando Leal
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Authorities arrested four people on cockfighting charges on April 8, 2006 in Greene and Pitt counties. They were searching for five other suspects.
Fighting, owning a gamecock for fighting or possessing paraphernalia related to fighting are all felonies in North Carolina.
Authorities identified some of those arrested by using a videotape of a cockfight filmed two months ago in Wilson County. Others were identified through an investigation into the murder last month of a Greenville man who was participating in a cockfight. Arrested were Armando Reyna and Adolfo Morales, both of Walstonburg, and Teresa Saldiva and Raul Raygoza, both of Greenville.
Case UpdatesSeven people arrested in March for allegedly participating in cockfights are scheduled to appear in Wilson County Superior Court Monday.
The defendants include Vincente Flores, Adolfo Morales and Armando Reyna, all of Walstonburg, Oscar Olivar of Rocky Mount, and Armando Leal, Teresa Saldiva and Raul Raygoza, all of Greenville.
Each of the suspects has been released from Wilson County Detention Center on a $1,500 unsecured bond, except for Leal. As of Friday, Leal was being held at the jail on a $1,500 secured bond.
Deputies from the Wilson County Sheriff's Office rounded up the suspects while investigating the Feb. 5 murder of Rosendo Torres Raygoza. Authorities believe he was murdered during a cockfight on Boykin Road. Raygoza died after suffering from gunshot wounds to his head, torso and right leg.
Maj. J.H. Farmer said Friday the Sheriff's Office is still searching for Alejandro Rico Pineda of La Grange in connection with Raygoza's death.
Authorities went to the home of James Ward Flowers on Boykin Road in February to investigate the murder when they discovered the cockfighting ring. Flowers was charged with cockfighting for allegedly hosting the illegal fights.
The Sheriff's Office continued its investigation through February and March into the cockfighting matches. Investigators viewed videotapes allegedly recorded during some of the fights. The tape led authorities to identify and arrest Flores, Morales, Olivar, Reyna, Saldiva and Raul Raygoza. Leal was arrested just hours after those six were charged.
Saldiva is the widow of Rosendo Raygoza. Raul Raygoza is his brother.
The Sheriff's Office had also been seeking Maria Reyna Torres, Rosendo Raygoza's sister, for cockfighting charges. She has not been arrested, and officers at the Wilson County Detention Center said Friday there are no outstanding warrants for her arrest at this time.
At the Boykin Road property, investigators reportedly found two cockfighting rings, shotgun shell casings, dead and dying roosters, blood, and caged and loose animals including birds and rabbits.
During cockfights, owners bring their gamecocks, often fitted with sharpened steel spurs on their legs, to battle other birds. Many birds die from injuries suffered during the matches.
Participants and spectators typically bet on the fights.
Investigators made the cockfighting arrests after conducting interviews regarding Rosendo Raygoza's death and after viewing a tape allegedly recorded at one of the fights.
Cockfighting is a Class I felony in North Carolina, punishable by up to 12 months in prison if convicted of fighting, owning a gamecock for fighting, possessing cockfighting paraphernalia or being a spectator at a cockfight. | Source: wilsondaily.com - Nov 25, 2006
Update posted on Nov 27, 2006 - 1:05AM |
There are more arrests in an illegal cockfight discovered through a murder investigation. Among them were the victim's wife and brother. Wilson County deputies arrested seven people from all over eastern North Carolina. All are charged with watching or participating in cockfights. Many were identified from home video of a fight. Sheriff Wayne Gay said he wants to send a strong message that cockfighting is not tolerated in Wilson or surrounding counties. "The severity and the cruelty involved in this is inhumane," he said.
Investigators say 26-year-old Alejandro Rico Pineda shot 27-year-old Rosendo Raygoza on Feb. 5, 2006. Among those arrested were Raygoza's wife, Teresa Saldiva, and his brother, Raul. Investigators say they decided to charge her, in part, because of her lack of cooperation in her husband's homicide investigation. Authorities said Saldiva and others at the scene did not give up much information at first, giving Pineda time to go home, pack a bag and leave town. "I feel sorry for her losing her husband, but I don't feel sorry for her participating in this cockfight and delaying the investigation," Gay said.
The magistrate set a $1,500 unsecured bond for each suspect in the case, which meant they were fingerprinted, signed themselves out and allowed to leave. "Fifteen hundred dollars, I think, is ridiculous for a class I felony that these people are charged with," Gay said. "There is no way we're going to make them understand how serious this is when they can walk in and get out of jail in 30 minutes."
Wilson deputies had warrants out for nine suspects. They arrested eight on March 9, 2006. Pineda is still on the run. Investigators say he may have headed back to Mexico. | Source: WRAL News - March 9, 2006
Update posted on Apr 10, 2006 - 4:24AM |
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