JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Eleven men were arrested and face felony charges after running a rooster-fighting ring at a home on Jake Road, says the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO).
According to JSO, patrol officers responded to Jake Road after a neighbor complained about the rooster fights on Saturday. Officers found an active rooster fight happening, with a large group of people holding cash and drinking alcohol while a referee monitored the fight.
The individuals began to run after seeing JSO officers, with officers catching up with seven men. A search led by the Narcotics and Vice detectives found four additional suspects. Three were hiding in the shed with another one under the bed of a camper.
JSO says detectives were called to the scene to continue the investigation. Evidence of a large rooster fighting ring, dead roosters, cages, and $13,600 in cash were found.
130 roosters were located, and JSO says many carry Avian disease and cannot be rehabilitated due to them being raised to be aggressive. JSO and Animal Control and Protective Services decided to humanely euthanize them after consideration from veterinarians.
The 11 men arrested are Alejandro Gutierrez Garcia, Ariel Villavicencio Ruiz, Omar Bonet Suarez, Raydel Hernandez Lorenzo, Ariel Rivero Santana, Pablo Marrero Pena, Sergio Pupo Cespedes, Osvaldo Acosta, Hector Perez Gonzalez, Angel Sabater, and Damian Olivera. Four of them (Cespedes, Sabater, Gonzalez, and Gutierrez Garcia) are in the country illegally.
“This is animal cruelty, these guys have turned peaceful animals into foot-tall killing machines for sport and that’s unacceptable,” said JSO Vice Sgt. Guy Daniels, who responded to the scene. “These birds are plucked from the waist down, metal spurs are glued to their claws, and they’re thrown into a ring for a vicious fight to the death.
“When the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office dismantled a brutal cockfighting operation, they sent a clear message that cruelty will not be tolerated in Jacksonville,” said ACPS Chief Michael Bricker. “I’m grateful for their partnership and their commitment to stopping inhumane treatment of animals. Cases like this don’t come together without care and teamwork.”
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