Four people are in serious trouble - charged with running a dog fighting ring.
Authorities say they raided two Hillsborough County homes expecting to find the animals, but they also found drugs and weapons inside those homes. Deputies say the man behind the ring is 80-years old and from the condition of the dogs, they believe this has been going for a long time. Some wounded and frail, deputies say the more than two dozen pit bulls found at the home were bred to fight. They bear the scars and injuries of that activity, some of the wounds severe and infected. Animal workers say they were all living in filth.
"They were on concrete pads - many of them had no shelter, no water. Some of the animals were emaciated," said Animal Services' Dennis McCullough. 80-year old Ray Starks now faces multiple counts of dog fighting and animal cruelty charges. Authorities also arrested 3 other men, (Bobby Lee Roberts, Ruben Anderson, James Lee Cobb, III) on drug charges. They seized the animals from 2 Thonotasassa homes on the night of Aug 10.
One neighbor says she has called the sheriff's office several times because of problems at the homes. She says it was no secret the dogs were there, but she had no idea just how many were being kept behind the fences. Authorities also removed several other pets from the homes, including some birds and another dog. Animal Services says those pit bulls will most likely be put down. Deputies say the search also revealed 339 grams of crack cocaine, 269 grams of powder cocaine, nine grams of marijuana and $4,850 in U.S. currency. Two semi-automatic handguns were located and seized. Estimated street value of the narcotics seized is $80,000.
Ray Stark faces nine counts of dog fighting, ten counts of animal cruelty and 15 counts of improperly confining animals. Case Updates| Ray Starks, an 80 year-old man initially charged with nine felony counts of dog-fighting and 10 counts of animal cruelty, pled guilty to misdemeanor cruelty to animals on January 9, 2007. He was sentenced to 12 months probation, during which time he is prohibited from owning animals. No jail time was imposed. Starks' three co-defendants were convicted of drug-related charges, but none faced charges related to animal cruelty. | Source: Docket # 2006 CM 25121
Update posted on Jan 18, 2007 - 9:30PM |
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