200-plus chickens saved from Missouri property after deputies suspect cockfighting
Authorities in southwest Missouri removed more than 230 chickens Thursday from a property suspected of conducting cockfights.
The Stone County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday night it had executed two searches of the home north of Reeds Spring — one on March 2 and again on Thursday, March 8.
On Thursday, deputies, with the help of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, located and rescued 231 chickens. Deputies also found items described as rooster fighting paraphernalia.
The items, according to the Springfield News-Leader, included gaffs and spurs, used to equip roosters for fighting.
The chickens found there also had injuries consistent with cockfighting, the newspaper reported.
Cockfighting, according to the ASPCA's website, is "a blood sport in which two roosters specifically bred for aggression are placed beak to beak in a small ring and encouraged to fight to the death." It's illegal in all 50 states.
The chickens in Stone County were taken by ASPCA to an undisclosed location where they are expected to undergo a wellness exam and treatment for any diseases, the sheriff's office said in a news release.
Charges are pending in the case.
A 52-year-old man connected to the home where the chickens and paraphernalia were found was arrested last week and charged with drug possession and stealing, KY3 reported. The suspect was identified in media reports at Berry D. Davis.
Davis remained in the Stone County jail on Friday, according to the sheriff's office inmate roster.
The sheriff's office said it conducted its first search of the property on March 2, when deputies were looking for narcotics, but ended up finding more — items allegedly used in rooster fights.
That's when authorities contacted ASPCA.
Members of ASPCA helped the sheriff's office rescue chickens at the property on Thursday.
Conducting a cockfight as well as possession of birds or paraphernalia for fighting are Class E felonies in Missouri. Each charge is punishable by up to four years in prison as well as a maximum fine of $10,000.
This story was originally published March 9, 2018 at 11:47 AM with the headline "200-plus chickens saved from Missouri property after deputies suspect cockfighting."