Four people were arrested and more than 60 birds were recovered in a raid on an illegal cockfighting operation in Prairie Township last night. Franklin County deputy sheriffs and the Capital Area Humane Society raided the home at 6601 O�Harra Rd. at 7:42 p.m. after neighbors complained about cockfights being held in the basement, authorities said.
Arrested on charges of animal fighting, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, were Girido I. Carmona, 28, Dionico Garcia, 23, and Sergio Castaneda, all of the O�Harra address, and Rene Garcia, 23, of Birmingham, Ala. Each is expected to make an initial appearance in Franklin County Municipal Court�s environmental division this morning.
In addition to the game fowl, which included 31 baby chicks, deputies found cockfighting magazines, veterinary medicines, commercially produced cockfighting videos, razorsharp knives that are attached to the birds, blood-soaked carpet as well as a camcorder and tape showing the suspects allegedly engaging in cockfighting. Investigators think the chicks were being shipped through the U.S. mail. All of the birds were impounded by the humane society.
References« OH State Animal Cruelty Map
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