Case Details

Cockfighting - 60 birds seized
Grovertown, IN (US)

Incident Date: Friday, May 5, 2006
County: Starke
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted

Abuser/Suspect: Wiley Stingley

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Case ID: 8465
Classification: Fighting
Animal: chicken
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Starke County Sheriff's Deputies cracked an illegal cockfighting tournament on May 6, arresting 52 people and confiscating about 60 roosters. After a call to 911 regarding suspicious activity at a house at 3800 N. Ind. 23, Sgt. Kelly Fisher and Deputy Homer Bradley responded.

The officers observed several vehicles parked behind the house and a large crowd having a cookout. The officers continued to investigate and saw numerous cages containing roosters, along with a fighting arena and burial pit. There also were several locked boxes of animal fighting paraphernalia, such as spurs ands drugs, and a stopwatch and a sheet containing score stats.

The officers determined they had uncovered an animal fighting tournament involving roosters.
Additional help was summoned and 52 people were arrested on misdemeanor charges of attending an animal fight contest. Those suspects were from surrounding counties and from other states, including Illinois, Michigan, Colorado, Wisconsin, and from Mexico.

The roosters were taken to the Starke County Humane Society. Police also confiscated eight rooster kits. �We're waiting for something from the Sheriff's Department. They are going to get a release from the prosecutor so we can decide what to do with them,� said Suzanne Krider.
Krider is the director of the Starke County Humane Society.

Sheriff Robert Sims said the investigation is continuing and additional arrests will be made for promoting the cockfights. Promoting such events is a felony. The Starke County Sheriff's Department was assisted by the Knox City Police, Hamlet Police Department, Indiana State Police, and Indiana Department of Conservation officers.

Case Updates

During a very lengthy court session on Monday night, Knox City Court Judge Charles Hasnerl sentenced 46 of the 52 people who were arrested on May 5 in connection with an alleged rooster fighting ring.

None of those charged were from Starke County, with most of them coming from Michigan and Illinois and one giving an address of Zona Centro, Mexico.

All 52 were charged with cruelty to an animal, a Class A misdemeanor. Nine of those charged did not show up for court and warrants will be issued for their arrests.

All but one of the defendants pleaded guilty and were sentenced to a six-month suspended sentence; six months non-reporting probation; a $300 fine; $50 restitution, which will go to the Starke County Humane Society; and $156 in court costs. Most of the defendants settled up their fines, paying the $506 in cash. Those who could not pay the full amount on Monday were given six months in which to get their money in to the court.

Because the majority of the defendants spoke no English, the court proceedings were translated into Spanish with the help of interpreter Letitia Navarro. Hasnerl read the charges and rights to each of the defendants in English and they were read again, in Spanish, by Navarro. Navarro also fielded questions from the defendants and interpreted those to Hasnerl.

A trial date of August 30 was set by Hasnerl for Wiley Stingley of Rossville, the only defendant who pleaded not guilty.

On May 5, Starke County Sheriff's Deputies cracked an illegal cockfighting tournament, arresting 52 people and confiscating about 60 roosters.

After a call to 911 regarding suspicious activity at a house at 3800 N. Ind. 23, Sgt. Kelly Fisher and Deputy Homer Bradley responded. The officers observed several vehicles parked behind the house and a large crowd having a cookout.

The officers continued to investigate and saw numerous cages containing roosters, along with a fighting arena and burial pit. There also were several locked boxes of animal fighting paraphernalia, such as spurs and drugs, and a stopwatch and a sheet containing score statistics.

The roosters were taken to the Starke County Humane Society. Police also confiscated eight rooster kits.

Suzanne Krider, director of the Humane Society, said the birds had to be euthanized.

The sheriff's department was assisted by the Knox City Police, Hamlet Police Department, Indiana State Police, and Indiana Department of Conservation officers.
Source: Pilot News - June 7, 2006
Update posted on Jun 16, 2006 - 9:12PM 
Health and sanitary concerns have prompted Starke County Humane Society officials to euthanize more than 30 roosters confiscated during the raid of an alleged cockfighting operation near Grovertown last weekend. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Williams said the birds were put down by lethal injection. Williams said heath officials were especially anxious to kill the roosters because of the current worldwide avian flu scare.

Fifty-two people were charged with misdemeanors of attending an animal fight contest after police from five different agencies found the birds, a fighting arena, a burial pit and other cockfighting paraphernalia on the property. Williams said he expects some felony arrests to come out of the case, but admits it will be difficult. He said that's because the birds weren't well tagged and that compiling information on all the parties involved is a complicated process. Also, Williams said, the suspects were from Mexico, Indiana, California, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Source: South Bend Tribune - May 13, 2006
Update posted on May 15, 2006 - 7:53PM 

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References

The Pilot News
South Bend Tribune - May 10, 2006

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