ONSLOW Co., N.C. – Ten men were arrested for dog fighting and narcotics charges on Tuesday.
The indictment says the men are accused of receiving, breeding, training, conditioning, transporting, and delivering dogs for the purpose of entering them in dog fights.
The defendants and their co-conspirators placed bets on animal fighting ventures, at times wagering as much as $100,000 for one fight.
The men arrested were:
• Lewis Edmond Andrews, Jr., 41
• Ronnie Jeremy Thompson, 39
• William Jay Farrior, aka “Bo”, 36
• Randall Jacob James, aka “Slim”, 32
• Mark Anthony West, 52
• Leo Chadwick, 63
• Aaron Richardson, aka “Jit”, 41
• Cedric Gerard Cook, 38
• James David Martin, 38
• James Leslie Golden, III, 46
The men are from different areas of North Carolina but were arrested for their illegal activity in the Onslow County area.
Andrews, Thompson, West, Chadwick, Richardson, Cook, and Martin were charged with Conspiracy to Violate the Animal Welfare Act. The federal Animal Welfare Act makes it a felony punishable by up to five years in prison to fight dogs or to possess, train, sell, buy, deliver, receive or transport dogs intended for use in dog fighting.
Andrews, Farrior, and James are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and heroin. West was also charged with distributing cocaine base within one thousand feet of Jacksonville Senior High School in Jacksonville.
Golden was charged with a misdemeanor for attending two dog fights.
When the men were arrested search warrants were carried out on four properties suspected of having dogs and dog fighting materials.
In the process of searching the properties 156 dogs were seized.
Police have requested that the ASPCA take the animals into custody to care for them.
The ASPCA is also doing forensic examinations on the dogs that were seized.
