The second-largest dog fighting raid in U.S. history occurred Friday, Aug. 23, with 11 of the 13 search warrants executed by agents in the state of Alabama.
In all, 367 pit bull terriers and more than $500,000 were seized from 10 individuals charged with conspiring to promote and sponsor dog fighting and running an illegal gambling operation, three of whom are from Lee County.
"I believe if Dante were alive today, and were rewriting 'The Inferno' that the lowest places in Hell would be reserved for those who commit cruelty to our animals and to our children," said George Beck, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. "The efforts today in the arrest of 10 or 12 people, eventually maybe 13 or 14, will, I hope, send a message to those who engage in this type of underground activity that law enforcement, state, federal and local, will coordinate to try to drive out this scourge from this state and surrounding states."
The raid came after more than 3 years of investigation across the South that connected individuals from as far apart as Georgia and Texas, and involved joint efforts by the Auburn and Opelika police departments, the FBI, the Lee County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Attorney's office and many others.
Together, they indicted and arrested multiple individuals in connection with each other to promote, transport, train and fight dogs, as well as illegal guns, narcotics and drugs used to train and treat dogs.
"This is an example of the reminder that criminals do not know city limits, or county or state lines," said Auburn Police Chief Paul Register. "Cooperation like this, and working together on such an effort is a proud moment for us and we're glad to be a part of it, and we thank you for all the assistance and we're thankful to be a part of the assistance."
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years for conspiracy to fight dogs, a five year maximum sentence on each of the 15 dog fighting counts, a five year maximum for conducting a gambling business and a five year maximum sentence for using the phone to promote gambling.
"This case is much more than just about the inhumane treatment of these dogs," said Doug Astrologer with the FBI. "This is, again, a barter society, and the fact of the impact that these types of illegal drug activity have within our community, the level of violence that we have seen in the course of this investigation speaks volumes as to these individuals and what they are engaged in doing, and the depraved heart in their activities.
The dogs, which are still considered evidence in the ongoing investigation, are being cared for by emergency Humane Society of the United States and American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals responders at an undisclosed location for their safety.
Tim Rickey, vice president of the investigative department for the ASPCA, said he wants to take samples of DNA from the dogs rescued Friday for a canine database which could lead to future investigations across the country.
"We know that this is a highly organized enterprise. These fighters are breeding animals, specific bloodlines, specific traits and we want to begin matching those animals from one yard to the other," Rickey said. "For example, in this case we may find a match between a dog that was seized in one of the Auburn area sites and a dog that was seized in Mississippi or Georgia, and that evidence really helps further the U.S. attorney's case in proving the conspiracy, showing the connection between the different yards," Rickey said.
The investigation is still ongoing, but the following people have been arrested: Donnie Anderson, 48, of Auburn; Demontt Allen, 37, of Houston; William Antone Edwards, 42, of Brantley; William Oneil Edwards, 39, of Elba; Robin Stinson, 40, of Elba; Michael Martin, 54, of Auburn; Lawrence Watford, 35, of Adel, Ga.; Ricky Van Le, 24, of Biloxi, Miss.; David Sellers, 52, of Opelika; Sandy Brown, 47, of Brownsville; Carlton Tippens, of Georgia; and Irkis Forrest, of Theodore.
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