AR-News: More on AL Cockfight Raid

[Political Animal]

These articles are about a raid in Collinsville, AL
this past weekend.  It mentions another raid from a
few weeks ago.
----
Gadsden Times 01-18-04 Sunday paper 
Published January 18. 2004 6:01AM 

DeKalb authorities raid cockfight 

DeKalb County authorities raided a well-attended
cockfight Saturday in the same building where they
shut down a similar operation about two years ago. 

Sheriff Cecil Reed said his deputies, agents of the
Drug Task Force and Collinsville Police raided the
cockfight about 1 p.m., having developed information
about the operation for some time. 

The building, complete with a cockpit, bleachers and a
café, was located off Alabama 68 on Lookout Mountain
above Collinsville. 

Reed said he saw cars with tags from Georgia,
Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and all over Alabama.


He said there were 250-300 people at the cockfight,
including 25-30 children, age 8-12. The presence of
the children could lead to special charges, Reed said.


"We arrested the man running the operation on a
misdemeanor gambling charge," Reed said. "We took the
names and addresses of everyone there, and they will
be notified by letter if they need to come in." 

Reed said he may also charge the man who was
collecting $20 a person for admission. Officers
confiscated more than $5,000 from him. 

"When they saw us, the spectators scattered off down
in the woods, with my deputies after them," Reed said.



Ane here is the raid in 2001
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Published June 26. 2001 6:01AM 

DeKalb officer raid cockfight 


Darrell Norman 
DeKalb County authorities raided a cockfighting 

and gambling operation Saturday, three weeks after
Etowah County authorities 

raided a similar operation. 

On June 2, Etowah County’s major crime unit and drug
task force closed 

a cockpit near the Etowah, Cherokee and Calhoun county
lines. The one that 

DeKalb County’s deputies and drug agents closed
Saturday was on Lookout 

Mountain near the DeKalb, Cherokee and Etowah county
lines. 

"I’m sure a lot of the same people were at both
places," said 

Darrell Collins, commander of the drug task force. He
added that one of 

the first people he saw was the man who ran a
cockfight that DeKalb authorities 

raided near Sylvania in 1992. 

Assistant Chief Deputy Dale Orr estimated Saturday’s
crowd at 75. They 

were from DeKalb, Marshall, Etowah and Cherokee
counties and several places 

in Georgia. 

The two men who ran the operation - one from Scenic
Highway, Gadsden, the 

other from County Road 860, Collinsville - were
charged with promoting 

gambling, a misdemeanor. The Gadsden man’s son was
charged with possession 

of drug paraphernalia, also a misdemeanor. 

All others present had their identities checked
against outstanding arrest 

warrants and were sent home. 

The raid took place just after 11 a.m. at 930 DeKalb
County Road 354. The 

first fight was set to begin at noon. 

Collins said officers confiscated more than $100 at
the ticket office. 

They also seized a computer, a public address system
and club records that 

listed 670 members. 

Orr said the metal barn was obviously dedicated to use
as a gaming arena. 

Bleachers surrounded the sawdust cockpit and a kitchen
served food. 

Orr said he believed that the building had been the
scene of regular cockfights 

since late last year. He said there is a circuit of
such arenas in several 

states that handlers travel to fight roosters almost
every weekend. 

Collins said anyone who wanted to enter the
cockfighting arena was required 

to complete an application for membership in a
sportsmen’s club. 

On the application form, prospective members were
asked whether they belonged 

to any law enforcement agency or animal rights
organization and whether 

they agreed not to divulge what took place at
meetings. 

Club rules excluded women and children younger than
14. 





__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes
http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/signingbonus