URGENT URGENT – U.P. Breaking News Bulletin – 2-11-18 – 12:20 a.m. ET
Fighting for Pit Bulls Dogs Abused in Cruel Michigan Dog Fighting and Sports Bookmaking Operation
Federal prosecutors file civil complaint to get ownership of four pit bull dogs seized last year in a probe into Michigan dog fighting and gambling ring
Filed late last week, the rare legal action will help guarantee the suspects pay for the dog’s medical bills, room, board and other daily expenses
By Greg Peterson
U.P. Breaking News
Owner, News Director
906-273-2433
(Grand Rapids, MI) – Federal prosecutors want to take ownership of four pit bull terriers that were viciously brutalize as part of a Michigan dog fighting ring.
The forfeiture action is named a “verified Complaint For Forfeiture In Rem.” The action describes the vile videos found on phones belonging to four people arrested for running a professional gambling and dog fighting business in western Michigan.
The brutal Michigan dog fighting ring was linked to other pit bull fighting businesses including in Ecuador at “G & G Kennels.”
The groups interbred dogs with names like the “Demolisher” and “Demonvil.” One arm of the fighting ring is named “Fatal Menace Kennels.”
Countless videos/photos were seized federal agents including a fighting dog owned by Miller and Davis.
The dog in the video named “Barracuda” is a “finisher (that goes for the) throat and kidneys!!!”
Federal Court in the Western District of Michigan:
On December 7, 2017, agents with the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and Federal Bureau of Investigation seized the Defendant Dogs from 1941 Osmer Ave., SW. in Wyoming, Michigan
“The Defendants” are currently in the custody of the United States Marshals Service and are being cared for by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in Columbus, Ohio.
The 12-page federal civil forfeiture complaint was filed by U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Andrew Byerly Birge and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel S. Fauson on Thursday, February 8, 2018.
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The Defendant Dogs are generally described as:a. One black female adult pit bull dog (1746-1-1)
b. One tan female adult pit bull dog (1746-1-2)
c. One brindle female adult pit bull dog (1746-1-3)
d. One black female adult pit bull dog (1746-1-4)
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In addition to seizing the animals and any pups, prosecutors are seeking a civil forfeiture judgment against their owners for the cost of healthcare and daily expenses such as room/board – totaled since they were seized.
Federal prosecutors in Michigan are suing to get “the defendant dogs and any offspring they may have before a final judgment is entered in this case,” the civil forfeiture complaint states.
The law “provides for the forfeiture of any animal involved” as it is illegal “to knowingly sell, buy, possess, train, transport, deliver, or receive any animal for purposes of having the animal participate in an animal fighting venture,” the forfeiture complaint states.
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Suspects:
Charles Miller of Lansing, MI
Charles Davis, Jr. of Wyoming, MI and is also known as Charleston Davis alias Brad Jordan
Miya Reeves
Katasha Davis
Damiane Buehrer aka ‘Fatal’ runs dog fighting facility named “Fatal Menace Kennels”
Galo Grijalva of Equador studded his dog “Demonvil” with a female at Stick Wit Me Kennels to sire future Michigan fighting dogs – and runs the fighting/stud enterprise “G & G Kennels”
Damiane Buehrer aka ‘Fatal’ runs “dog fighting operation” named “Fatal Menace Kennels.”
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The Michigan suspects “work together to train fighting dogs, maintain and care for fighting dogs, purchase and breed fighting dogs, and attend and gamble on animal fighting ventures involving their dogs,”the complaint states. To hide betting operation and dog fights the suspects operate under the guise” of “Stick Wit Me Kennels.”
Illegal “kennel” business:
STICK WIT ME KNLS
SWM KNLS
Stick Wit Me Kennels
G & G Kennels
Dogs:
Cardiac Kid 2.0 aka Cardiackid Miller
Mr. Vili, advertised by suspect, seized by federal agents on July 27, 2017
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On November 22, 2016, Davis’s “Stick Wit Me-Knls” Facebook account posted a photo of the Pit Bull dog “Mr. Vili.”
“Mr. Vili” was seized from Miller’s residence on July 27, 2017.
A forensic veterinarian examined “Mr. Vili” and found scars on (his) head, neck, and legs” all “consistent with healed dog-bite wounds from organized dog fighting,”the complaint states.
Facebook users who knew the dog-fighting jargon and code – responded to the photo.
Most “notably,” Galo Grijalva who had studded his Pit Bull dog Demonvil with Mr. Vili’s mom Pantera.
“Another great animal in USA” sired by “my stud Demonvil,” Grijalva wrote on Facebook.
Grijalva operates the dog fighting enterprise “G & G Kennels,” out of Ecuador.
Starting about eight weeks prior to a fight, the dogs are put on training regimen of food, exercise, and supplements
The dog abusers also had did business with another illegal dog fighting ring – operated by Damiane Buehrer aka ‘Fatal’, who runs “the dog fighting operation” named “Fatal Menace Kennels.”
In addition to badly hurt dogs, agents found a plethora of evidence including records.
Agents seized “Sporting Dog” Journals – the “underground paper magazines that promote dog fighting” that are saved in a digital format instead of paper like the old days.
The e-journals “recount match wins, advertise stud fighting dogs for breeding, list titles awarded to fighting dogs, and include articles and advertisements about training and providing medical care for fighting dogs.,” the complaint states. “Historically, dog fighters would keep paper copies of such journals as mementos. Now the trend is for these underground dog fighting journals to exist in electronic format and they are shared over the Internet.”
On Dec. 27, 2017, a search of “Davis’s residence, yard, and garage” federal agents recovered “a first aid kit, lubricating jelly, syringes, and medications commonly used to treat dogs involved in dog fighting matches. “
Agents “found a photograph of a brown female pit bull” and the photo’s caption said ‘Pride and Joy’ in “Aug. 2003 at 13 months old.”
Agents seized numerous dog collars, rope leashes, dog crates, and two springs capable for use as spring poles.
“A spring pole consists of a heavy duty spring that is tethered to an immovable object, typically a tree branch, with a biting rope dangling from the end,” the federal forfeiture complaint states. “It serves as an apparatus to exercise a dog’s jaws and condition dogs to clamp on to what they are biting.”
“The ASPCA evaluated the Defendant Dogs and identified scars on each of the Defendant Dogs that indicate involvement in dog fighting,” the complaint states.
Prosecutors even provided proof their forfeiture complaint was valid because it included a “verified complaint” that was sworn to by Deputy U.S. Marshal Jesse Lake.
“I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct,” said Lake, one of the officers investigating the case.
The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Maloney.
Here is excerpt from the forfeiture complaint about the horrors of dog fighting:
Dog fighting is a violent contest in which two dogs that are bred and conditioned for fighting are released by their owners or handlers in a controlled environment to attack each other and fight for purposes of entertainment or gambling. Fights usually end when one dog withdraws, when a handler “picks up” his dog and forfeits the match, or when one or both dogs die.
Dog fighters fight dogs with a goal of obtaining “Champion” or “Grand Champion” status for their dogs, which is achieved by winning three or five fights, respectively. They maintain contact with other dog fighters around the country, and can generate substantial income from gambling on dog fights and from the sale and breeding of fighting animals.
It is a common practice for those involved in training and exhibiting fighting dogs to possess several dogs at one time. This practice is followed for several reasons. Dog fighters maintain a stock of dogs at different weights and both sexes because in dog fights, dogs are matched against other dogs to within a pound of the same weight against dogs of the same sex. Maintaining a stock of several dogs thus increases the odds of owning a dog whose weight meets the requirements for a match being solicited by an opponent.
Further, dog fighters must possess an inventory of dogs because dogs often die or are badly injured during fights. Dogs that lose fights or fail to show “gameness” are often killed. It is not uncommon for dogs that lose matches to be killed in cruel, torturous, and inhumane ways as punishment.
Dog fighters also maintain multiple dogs in order to selectively breed, sell, and fight dogs displaying certain traits or to otherwise advance a particular dog fighting bloodline.Possessing multiple dogs increases the prospects of owning a dog who will become a champion or Grand Champion. Dog fighters also routinely test and evaluate their dogs to determine those that exhibit aggressive behavior, including against their own dogs.
Persons engaged in dog fighting typically use “pit bull”-type dogs, which dog fighters prefer for their compact muscular build, short coat, and the aggression that some display toward other dog.
One sign of dog fighting is the presence of pit bull-type dogs on heavy or excessive chains, or housed individually in pens or crates. Persons engaged in dog fighting take steps to restrain or isolate dogs used for fighting from one another to prevent them from fighting at unintended times. They may also keep younger dogs they intend to use for fighting out of reach of other dogs to discourage normal socialization. Heavy chains are used to develop neck strength in dogs used for fighting.
Dog fighters typically do not start setting up matches for a dog until the dog reaches at least eighteen months to two years of age. Until then, dog fighters may test the dog out by “rolling” it or having the dog participate in short fights to assess the dog’s demeanor: Thus, it is common for dog fighters to possess multiple young pit bull-type dogs who are in the process of being trained to fight.
Dogs who have been involved in organized fights may have scars, puncture wounds, swollen faces, or mangled ears. Scars from organized dog fights are commonly found on the face and front legs, as well as on hind ends and thighs
The American Dog Breeder’s Association, Inc. (ADBA) in Salt Lake City, Utah
Maintains a registry of American Pit Bull Terriers and Pit Bull kennels.
Claims to be “the largest registration office of the American Pit Bull Terrier.”
The ADBA “does not condone any illegal activity, but will never deny the history of our breed.”
ADBA issues registration certificates for Pit Bull owners who provide proof of a dog’s pedigree, bloodline. Registration certificates for Pit Bull kennels.
https://adbados.com
https://adbados.com/abous-us
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Upper Peninsula Breaking News by Greg Peterson 