Why Is a National Dogfighter Registry Necessary? (2024)

A National Dogfighter Registry is necessary for the following reasons:

Some Dogfighters Only Make Their Local Police Blotter

Ever hear of Louisiana dogfighters Leon Freeman and Latrell Williams? No. And there are reasons for that.

Dogfighters Run for Public Office

Until recently, North Carolina Republican Stoney Greene sat on the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners — i.e., city council, the people who pass and repeal laws. In March 2024, Greene ran for a House of Representatives seat.

Do you know who you’re voting for this Election ’24? Bear in mind, Presidents appoint federal judges like “Honorable” John M. Campbell, who “was appointed to the Superior Court of the District of
Columbia in 1998 by President William Jefferson Clinton,” per District of Columbia Courts. “Judge Campbell was born in Wooster, Ohio and spent most of his childhood in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee. … Judge Campbell [has] handled numerous criminal investigations, trials, and appeals in locations throughout the country, including Virginia, Rhode Island, Florida, West
Virginia, New York, Tennessee, Indiana, Louisiana, and the District of Columbia. In 1991, Judge Campbell joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia as the Chief of the Public Corruption and Government Fraud Section, where he served until his appointment to the Superior Court bench. In that capacity, he supervised all public corruption and fraud investigations and prosecutions in the District involving both federal and local officials.”

Louisiana Reps. John John and Raymond LaLonde, Stoney Greene, John M. Campbell, city council member Joe Burgess of Georgia and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, OK Rep. Josh Brecheen, OK Rep. J.J. Humphrey and OK Sen. Lonnie Paxton are just nine of the many reasons you should not vote red or blue all the way down a ballot.

Dogfighters Don’t Stop Killing Animals Unless They’re in Prison or Dead

Dogfighters kill cats, kittens, rabbits, chickens, pigs, raccoons and any animal they lay hands on. Dogfighters have even been busted with alligators. Throughout this National Dogfighter Registry, you’ll find repeat offender after repeat offender. Dogfighter Coy Glenn Dickenson is the best most recent example. Dickenson was busted in 1986 with people from Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas; he was busted again nearly 40 years later in New Jersey as part of a trio of dogfighting raids the Humane Society of the United States and the ASPCA orchestrated days before the ASPCA’s National Dog Fighting Awareness holiday to bring in donations.

Timothy Whaley is another recent example. Scroll throughMaryland dogfighting bustsand you’ll see Whaley wasbusted withKevin Land of Seaford, Delaware, and Byron Briddell, Glenn White andSamuel Foreman from Marylandin January 2023.Ronnell Jacobsof Seaford, Delaware, was caught later. Twenty-two years earlier, Whaley was busted for dogfighting in January 2001.

Scroll throughOhio dogfighting busts and you’ll see Alfred Love was busted in 1980, 1981 and 2007. In 2007, Love was busted with 18 people, including Terry Kendrick, aka O.G., who “had connections to dogfighting operations fromFloridatoTexastoNew York,” per The Cincinnati Enquirer, and “refereed fights for [Michael] Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels.” Kendrick was sentenced to 13.5 years in prison. He’s been out for years.

Cleveland, Ohio, dogfighter and cat killer Angelo McCoywasfirst arrested for dogfighting during a November 2014 raid in Akron. “A concession stand outside sold hot dogs and refreshments,” cleveland.com reported. “After police raided the home Saturday using an armored truck, they found about $30,000 scattered through the yard and eight pit bulls — six ready to fight and two bloodied dogs inside the ring.” This raid involved nearly “100 Akron police officers, two SWAT teams and Summit County Sheriff’s deputies” and resulted in the arrest of 47 people fromaround Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and California.

McCoy, who ran from officers that night, wassentenced to a year of probationrather than prison.

While McCoy was on probation, he was busted for dogfighting again—in June 2015. “He wassentenced to 10 months in prison,” cleveland.com reported.

Both judges told McCoy that he wasn’t allowed to have more dogs, but when McCoy was busted with “112 grams of heroin, 21 grams of cocaine, more than 400 prescription pills [and] $8,591 cash” during aJanuary 2020drug investigation, police found 11 injured dogs and one dead dog behind his house. McCoy wasarrested for dogfighting a third timeand allowed out on $25,000 bond.

In November 2020, while McCoy remained out on bond for his third arrest, he wascaught using Craigslist to communicate with people who were breeding kittens and collecting catsfor his pit bulls to tear apart.

Other repeat offenders include:

• Texas dogfighter Kavante Rashad Davis, who wasbusted for dogfighting five times— in October 2017, October 2014, July 2013, August 2013 and October 2013.
• Florida dogfighter Roy Chester Bennett wasbusted for dogfighting in 1995 and again in 2016;
• Ohio dogfighter Jerry Buchanan wasbusted for dogfighting in 2004 and again in 2017;
• Georgia dogfighter Willie Dasher wasbusted for dogfighting in 2004 and again in 2018;
• Louisiana dogfighter Kevin Valentine wasbusted for dogfighting in 2004, 2006 and 2018;
• Alabama dogfighter Terrance McNeil wasbusted for dogfighting in 2008and again months later while out on bond. He was busted a third time in 2011 and sentenced to 10 years;
• Illinois dogfighter LaRue Jackson, who’s also a registered sex offender, wasbusted for dogfighting in 2008, 2011 and 2015;
• Georgia dogfighter Devechio Rowland wasbusted for dogfighting in 2010 and again in 2017(after which he was sentenced to “50 years with 15 to serve,” according to WEIS Radio);
• Indiana dogfighter Martin Anderson wasbusted for dogfighting in 2011 and 2019;
• Pennsylvania dogfighter Dowayne Molina wasbusted for dogfighting in 2015 and 2018;and
• Massachusetts dogfighter Javier Ruperto wasbusted for dogfighting in 2014 and 2021.

Your “Vet Reference” Means Nothing

Many cat, dog and rabbit rescues ask potential adopters for vet references, believing that a person who takes his or her pet to a vet must be a responsible pet owner who has the money to care for a pet. Hate to break it to you, but veterinarians, vet techs and vet students fight dogs, too.

“According to court-filed documents, [Carlos] Warren started fighting dogs as a teenager. While living in both California and Virginia, he published and distributed nationally a magazine called ‘the Connector.’ The magazine contained interviews of known dogfighters, the results of various fights, breeding and pedigree information, advertisem*nts for fighting dogs and a page which advertised the illegal sale of injectable steroids and other substances for dogs. After moving to Virginia, Warren set up a dogfighting yard, hosted dogfights on his property and attended other dogfights. Notably, Warren’s work as a veterinary technician during much of this time enabled him to steal or otherwise obtain medications and other supplies. He then used these medications and supplies, as well as his veterinary technician training, to treat dogs during fights up until they lost or refused to fight. When that happened, Warren executed dogs through brutal means including electrocution.” – U.S. Department of Justice

Vet tech Carlos Warren of Rapidan, Virginia, was sentenced to a mere 20 months in prison in July 2023. Other vets on this National Dogfighter Registry include veterinarian Hugh Peaco*ck of Florida, veterinarian Gary Friederich of Illinois, vet student Royal Scott Smalley of New Mexico and Benito Gittens, who worked for a New York veterinary office. (Do not relinquish sick or dying pets to vets. They could be rehomed or worse. If your pet needs to be euthanized, stay with your pet.)

At Least 30 Percent of Dogfighters are Women

These women are the people replying to Craigslist pet section and free stuff ads, Facebook posts on free pets pages and Next Door ads handing out free/cheap kittens and stray cats; they’re also walking into shelters and contacting “rescues.”

“Dogfighting Is an Illegal but Family Tradition”

“Investigators say dogfighting is a family sport, especially in the state’s rural areas,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported in 1987. ‘You see mothers, fathers, grandmothers, nieces, nephews, 5-year-old children,’ said the undercover investigator who helped break the Stone County case against Herman ‘Bush’ Clark…”

“At about 10:00 p.m. on May 10, 1985, after a search warrant had been obtained, ten law enforcement officers entered a building behind the residence of Darryl and Winifred Hook in Fort Smith. A dog fight between two American pit bull terriers was in progress. Fifteen persons were present. The police arrested all of them except the Hooks’ 12-year-old son, who was video-taping the dog fight.” — Ash v. State, 1986

Throughout this National Dogfighter Registry, you will see Sr.s and Jr.s like Douglas Armour Sr. and Douglas Armour Jr. of Georgia, couples like Shane Santiago and Laura Acampora of Pennsylvania and families like Mark, Kimberly and Jacob Heatherly of Tennessee who were busted for dogfighting. You’ll also see mothers like Bibb County Sheriff’s OfficeCorrections Deputy Sheryl Smith of Georgia who let their kids fight dogs in their house or keep fighting dogs on their property.

NFL Player Clinton Portis Was Right: Police Officers Fight Dogs

During the 2007 Michael Vick case, Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis faced backlash for saying, “I know a lot of back roads that got a dogfight if you want to go see it. But they’re not bothering those people because those people are not big names. I’m sure there’s some police [who have] some dogs that are fighting them, some judges got dogs and everything else.”

Judges may or may not fight dogs, but many judges know — and are related to — people who do.

Police have been fighting dogs and attending dogfights since the 1800s.

Some of the police officers, including sheriffs, deputies and corrections officers, on this National Dogfighter Registry include:

• Federal Bureau of Prisons employee DeCarlisle Chapman of Florida
• Buffalo, New York, cell block attendant Shannon Richardson
• Hampton Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Carolyn Johnson of Virginia
• Morrow County Special Deputy Sheriff Nancy Martin of Ohio
• Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Joseph Barnes Jr. of Florida
• Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Alton Harrellof Florida
• Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Reginald Mickins of Florida
• Alabama Department of Corrections Officer William Shields
• New York State corrections officer Mark B. Hunter
• Eastman corrections officer Frank James Fountain Jr. of Georgia
• Philadelphia police officer Isaac Fontaine of Pennsylvania
• Sparta police officer Travis Edwards of Georgia
• Kinney County Sheriff Norman Hooten of Texas
• Dane County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert A. Lowery of Wisconsin

Corruption Is Not Limited to Police: Our National Orgs — the ASPCA, HSUS and Best Friends — Are Corrupt As Well

Best Friends’ stance on Craigslist should have been any animal advocate’s first clue that something was amiss. The fact that it lied about how and where it originated should have been their second.

And with that, you should scroll back to the top and re-read about Louisiana or read the following posts.