FL: Putnam woman arrested in 2015 dog-fighting operation

Posted January 6, 2017 05:30 pm - Updated January 6, 2017 07:44 pm
By Scott Butler
A little more than a year since Putnam County deputies raided a dog-fighting operation sending about 100 people scurrying, the Sheriff’s Office arrested a 44-year-old Hawthorne woman as the ringleader.

Deputies obtained and served a warrant Friday charging for Ruth Renae Bryant with one count each of causing an animal to engage in a fight with other animals, facilitating an animal fight and attending an animal fight, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

A noise complaint around midnight Dec. 19, 2015, led deputies to a wooded area near Azalea Lane in West Putnam County. They discovered a large group of people at what appeared to be an organized dog fight. Dozens of people fled leaving behind 39 vehicles, some registered as far away as Jonesboro, Ga., and Bradenton.

Two wounded dogs found in a wood-box arena designed for fighting were among 19 dogs found in the area, the Times-Union previously reported.

It initiated a multi-jurisdictional investigation involving both state and federal agencies, the Sheriff’s Office said.


“Bryant is considered to be the primary facilitator of that initial fighting event,” the Sheriff’s Office said, noting she also owned the property.

The FBI also indicted an individual in the Sarasota area associated with the investigation on federal firearms charges. Additional charges of attending a dog fight have been forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office against 37-year-old Andrew Lee Ray of Jacksonville, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Bryant’s arrest is considered to be an important step in what continues to be an ongoing investigation with more arrests expected.

http://jacksonville.com/news/2017-01-06/putnam-woman-arrested-2015-dog-fighting-operation