Cockfighting - 100 birds, 250 spectators Glenville, GA (US) Incident Date: Sunday, May 7, 2006 County: Tattnall Local Map: available Disposition: Open Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Case ID: 8471 Classification: Fighting Animal: chicken View more cases in GA (US) Login to Watch this Case

Authorities say a major cockfighting ring in the Coastal Empire is no more. They say hundreds of people were meeting in Long County to fight chickens. It happened off county road 261, a few miles outside Glennville. The Long County Sheriff thinks it's just one of the places cockfighters met throughout the region. The sheriff says there's always been rumors of cockfighting, but thanks to a tip, it probably won't be a problem there anymore.

Cecil Nobles has been the Long County Sheriff for nearly forty years and in those years, he's helped break up a lot of small fights with about four or five chickens. But when there's 100 chickens and 250 people watching, that's a pretty big deal and Sheriff Nobles says that's exactly what happened Sunday.

A broken swimming pool, feathers, and empty beer bottles. Those are just a few things scattered around a wooded area in Long County. "It's a big mess left here. A big mess," says Sheriff Nobles. But there is a good reason for this mess: cockfighting. "Right here is where they had the chickens and were betting on the chickens. Five hundred dollars on chicken fights. Whoever won the fight got $500," says Sheriff Nobles.

People from as far away as Cobb County and Oklahoma planned to spend their Sunday here. If you had to go to the little boy's room, no problem. Someone hooked up a generator so it could pump water from a pond to this outhouse. You could even buy food out here. "Selling food, had beer out here. It was a big operation," says Sheriff Nobles.

But when Long County Sheriff's Deputies decided to break up the party, everyone ran. That's right. They ran, leaving behind their Excursions, Durangos and other cars. "They come here one way and they had to go back out the same way. So we blocked the road," says Sheriff Nobles.
Deputies arrested fifteen people on charges of aggravated cruelty to animals. The rest of the 250 people got away. But since officers have everyone's cars, they don't think it'll be hard to catch the owners.

"I think the penalties are so stiff and severe that they're not coming back to fight in Long County anymore and I'm sure it'll put a halt in other counties. They'll be hesitant to fight," says Sheriff Nobles. Other state agencies helped Long County deputies with the bust. The penalty for aggravated cruelty to animals is up to five years in prison and 15-thousand dollars in fines.

If you have information on this case, please contact:
Long County Sheriff's Dept
912-545-2118

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