Orange County Farms Raided

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Two Orange County farms raided in dog-fighting probe[/FONT]
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By Grace Schneider
gschneider@courier-journal.com [/FONT]

Federal and state law enforcement agents raided two Orange County farms Tuesday in an investigation of suspected breeding and training sites for dog-fighting operations.

Authorities seized about 80 pit bulls and were holding them at undisclosed locations pending the investigation. Many of the dogs showed scars and other marks consistent with fighting, said Adam Parascandola, a Humane Society of the United States dog-fighting investigator who was assisting in the case.

One man, Brian E. Denny, 39, of French Lick, was being held on a preliminary charge of possession of animals for the purpose of animal fighting, a Class D felony punishable by up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

“There should be more” arrests, said Jeff Franklin, a spokesman for the Indiana Gaming Commission's gaming control unit that investigates illegal gambling. He said the investigation began about two years ago when the gaming commission received a tip about gambling on dog fights.

In addition to most of the dogs, investigators found the remains of dogs, dog-fighting magazines, scales for weighing animals and other animal-fighting paraphernalia at a location on U.S. 150 about seven miles southeast of Paoli.

Parascandola said nine dogs were found at Denny's property in French Lick.
All of the dogs that were seized were examined by Humane Society officials and members of the Purdue University veterinary science department.

Tuesday's raids came after Orange Circuit Judge Larry Blanton signed search warrants allowing state gaming agents, Indiana State Police troopers, state conservation officers, U.S. marshals and Orange County sheriff's deputies to move on locations that had been under surveillance for months.

The Humane Society of the United States, based in Washington, D.C., is a lobbying and advocacy group that combats animal cruelty. The organization offers a $5,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of individuals who promote dog fighting.

“Dog fighting is a criminal underground industry that breeds horrible animal suffering and violence,” Parascandola said. “We commend the Indiana Gaming Commission for working with numerous agencies to conduct these successful investigations.”

Larry Rollins, director of the gaming commission's division of gaming control, credited “a lot of hard work and information sharing” among law enforcement agencies for turning up key evidence.

Orange County Prosecutor Kelly Minton said even though the investigation is ongoing, police moved quickly to release information about Tuesday's activity because the public in the area was well aware it was under way.

“In a small community, they knew something” was up, Minton said.

Reporter Grace Schneider can be reached at (812) 949-4040.