Dog-fighting - 14 dogs seized Crown Ridge, FL (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 22, 2006 County: Leon Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Charges: Felony CTA Alleged: » Devin Garmon » Derrick Brown Upcoming Court Dates: » Monday, Nov 26, 2007: pre-trial conference Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

Case ID: 9596 Classification: Fighting Animal: dog (pit-bull) View more cases in FL (US) Login to Watch this Case

A Tallahassee man has been charged in connection with a dogfight Aug. 22 during which 14 pit bulls were seized and taken to the Tallahassee-Leon Community Animal Service Center.

Devin Garmon, 27, of Tallahassee faces 10 charges of felony animal cruelty and 10 charges of dogfighting, Leon County Sheriff's Office spokesman Chris Chase said. Warrants were issued for Garmon's arrest, but as of the afternoon of Aug 31, he had not been arrested.

Leon County animal control officers picked up the battered pit bulls after deputies arrived at 3637 Blue Bird Road in the Crown Ridge neighborhood just after 8 p.m. They saw a crowd of people standing in a circle scatter, Chase said. Three people took a dog and fled in a car, he said.

Ten of the pit bulls showed signs of dogfighting in examinations by three veterinarians, Animal Control Director Richard Ziegler said. Deputies found fresh injuries on three dogs, including one that had two puncture wounds on its face and was bleeding from its mouth, according to a probable-cause affidavit.

Ziegler said Animal Control is working with the county attorney to get custody of the pit bulls. Now, they're locked up in the center, essentially being held as evidence.

"It's not conducive for an animal to be at the shelter for a long period of time," he said. "That's why we want to expedite getting the animal into a better environment."

If the dogs pass behavioral tests, they could be adopted.

Detective John Rudd said it's difficult to make arrests in dogfighting cases. He said he doesn't remember making a dogfight-related arrest in two years.

"You pretty much have to catch them during it," he said.

Detectives also are looking for 28-year-old Derrick Brown of Tallahassee. He was at the scene and gave deputies a false name, Chase said. He has warrants for attending a dogfight, a felony, and giving a law-enforcement officer false information.

The home on Blue Bird Road belongs to Garmon's mother. Garmon told deputies at the scene that three of the dogs were his and the rest belonged to his brother and a man named "Rio," according to the affidavit. Garmon then called Animal Control and said he owned four puppies and three adults dogs but would not tell officials who the other owners were, according to the affidavit.

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Tallahassee Democrat - Sept 1, 2006

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