On Feb. 2, two of the five men taken into custody for allegedly participating in a Nipomo cockfighting ring pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges. Cockfighting is a felony is most states, but is considered a misdemeanor in California.
The other three men arrested during the Jan. 28 raid—one of the largest such raids in state history—have yet to be arraigned. The charges for all five men range from possession of gamecocks for fighting to possession of cockfighting implements.
During a press conference on Jan. 29, detectives with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department said they found more than 2,000 birds on the farm. Approximately 1,200 of the birds were roosters, and the rest were hens and chicks.
Since the raid, several local and national animal rights organizations—including the Humane Society of the United States—have spoken out against the incident.
In an interview with the Sun, Kelly White O’Neill, executive director of the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society, said cockfighting can often be a sign of other shady activities in the area.
“When you’re hurting animals, you’re often committing other crimes,” White O’Neill said. “You’re not bringing a canned food donation to get into the cockfight.”
This article appears in Feb 5-12, 2009.
