IN: 18 arrested in dog fighting investigation

18 arrested in dog fighting investigation
Police found fighting ring, injured dogs
by:Rod Hissong
Updated: Thursday, 03 Jan 2013, 4:14 PM EST
Published : Sunday, 30 Dec 2012, 4:43 AM EST

CHURUBUSCO, Ind. (WANE) - Police in Whitley County acted on a tip that led to the arrest of eighteen people alleged to have taken part in a dog fighting competition.

Friday, police received a tip of a dog fighting contest that was set to take place Saturday at a home in Churubusco.

According to a police report, police investigated and obtained a search warrant for a home in the 900 block of East State Road 205.

At 11 p.m. Saturday, police raided the home occupied by 36-year-old Edward "Eddie" E. Smith.

Smith and seventeen additional individuals were taken into custody, according to the report.

Mug Shot Gallery: 18 arrests after dog fighting raid

Police said they found an injured and bloody pit bull type dog inside a fighting ring constructed of plywood in a garage. Two other dogs were located inside the home, including a second pit bull type dog that was injured and bloody. A younger dog was found with no injuries.

The individuals were charged with attending an animal fighting contest, a class A misdemeanor. Class A misdemeanors in Indiana carry a maximum of one-year in jail and a maximum fine of $5,000.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending. All of the accused are due in court for an initial appearance on Wednesday, January 3.

All three animals were taken by the Whitley County Humane Shelter. The shelter's director of operations, Lindsay Pease, sent NewsChannel 15 the following about the dogs:

We are taking donations for the dogs from Churubusco. Dogs like this need medical care and equipment for mental stimulation. We are focusing on their medical needs at this point. Any determination on their future outcome would be made at a later date. To make a donations to this fund please send them to Whitley County Humane Society, RE: Churubusco Dogs, P.O. Box 245, Columbia City, IN 46725.
18 individuals charged after raid:

Marco C. Sole, 39, Chicago, Ill.

Alvegas R. Nelson, 31, Joliet, Ill.

Excell L. Hazzard, 44, Chicago, Ill.

John L. Patrick, 29, Joliet, Ill.

Chante L. Houlden, 33, Harvey, Ill.

Dwise R. Radcliffe, Sr., 41, Harvey, Ill.

Cortez A. Flowers, 37, East Chicago, Ind.

Kordi S. Williams, 41, Joliet, Ill.

John J. Abram, 32, Lansing, Ill.

Alden C. Parsons, 80, Evanston, Ill.

Robert A. Stouder, 32, Churubusco, Ind.

Donaver L. Jones, 42, Gary, Ind.

Darrell G. Thames, 50, Three Rivers, Mich.

Marlin L. Mitchell, 46, Matteson, Ill.

Rudolph H. Allen, 53, Chicago, Ill.

Mack A. Tucker, 41, Chicago, Ill.

Bambi Sue Langon, 46, Three Rivers, Mich.

Edward E. Smith, 36, Churubusco, Ind.

18 arrested after dog fighting investigation

 

Man arrested in dog fight had previous conviction

Man arrested in dog fight had previous conviction

Updated: Thursday, 03 Jan 2013, 5:48 PM EST
Published : Thursday, 03 Jan 2013, 4:10 PM EST

CHURUBUSCO, Ind. (WANE) One of the 18 individuals arrested recently for taking part in a dog fighting competition apparently has a criminal history related to dog fights.

NewsChannel 15 was tipped off about the record via Report!t.

Donaver Jones was one of 18 people arrested by the Whitley County Sheriff's Department after police acted on a tip about a dog fight.

Mug Shot Gallery: 18 arrests after dog fighting raid

According to a Nov. 18, 2008 article in the Chicago Tribune , Jones was one of three people charged with felony dog fighting after a month-long investigation by Chicago police.

The Cook County Sheriff's Department said in a Nov. 2008 release that Jones had also been one of dozens arrested in 2006 "in a massive dog-fighting operation in Livingston County."

The 2008 release outlines the horrific scene police uncovered when they broke up the fight in Chicago: a makeshift ring covered in blood, a dog so severely injured it had to be carried out on a stretcher, and 50 people in attendance to watch. Those 50 people were charged with a attending a dogfight, a misdemeanor.

The Cook County Sheriff's Department stated that "[p]olice confiscated a tackle box filled with steroids, amphetamines, syringes and an IV drip from the home, all of which were used to keep the dogs aggressive and alive. They also found a staple gun being used to close wounds on the injured dogs, as well as thick wooden stakes used to drive apart the dogs’ jaws after they’d locked down on another dog."

According to the Sheriff's Department, Jones was found guilty of providing a site for a dog fight and sentenced in Bridgeview court in June 2012 to 24 months probation, anger management classes, and ordered to have no contact with companion animals.

Jones was also ordered to pay $3,612 in restitution in order to help pay for cost of a sanctuary home for the dogs and another $3,000 to cover the costs of Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC). Officers initially thought the dog found injured in the makeshift ring would not survive but, thanks to the care at CACC, it did.

Man arrested in dog fight had previous conviction