FLORAL CITY, Fla. — A total of seven men were arrested for participating in illegal cockfights at a home in Floral City, authorities said Monday.
The Citrus County Sheriff's Office said in a news release they received a report at about 12:27 p.m. on Saturday of a noise complaint in the area of Florida Avenue.
The neighbor of the home who called 911 told 10 Tampa Bay she was alarmed with the noises she was hearing.
"It was an unusual amount of roosters, that was my first thought," she said. "Why are there so many roosters?”
Another neighbor who lives nearby described hearing loud cheering coming from the home.
"It just sounded like gambling," he said. "I don't know how else to put it. When you win something and everyone who's rooting for that cheers. That's what it sounds like.”
Deputies say they recognized the home was being used as a cockfighting venue and attempted to make contact with the homeowner, Jose Hernandez.
"This person not only was running an illegal cockfighting operation, he was also selling alcohol out there without a liquor license," Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast said. "He was running a makeshift restaurant out there as well, selling food to folks without a license to sell food, and a whole host of other charges out there too."
Six other people were arrested for participating in the cockfights.
"This was not your average noise complaint on a Saturday afternoon. Instead of CCSO deputies discovering a possible party with loud music, they found plain evidence of this organized criminal activity," Prendergast said in a news release. "Thank you to our citizens who contact us to investigate these types of nuisances because you are the eyes and ears' helping us put criminals behind bars."
Those who live nearby said they're relieved deputies responded to the call.
“I'm happy they got caught because of the animals. Nothing deserves to be abused." one neighbor said.
The woman who called authorities said it's disturbing why anyone would want to harm innocent animals.
“It's disgusting. Those animals are innocent. They didn't do anything to anybody. They don't want to fight. That's not what they want to do," she said.
The seven men reportedly traveled across the state to participate in the fighting of roosters.
“Literally south Florida, central Florida, north Florida, and there were many more suspects out there participating in this,” Prendergast said.
Law enforcement says an area outside of the home was designed as an arena and contained numerous cages, holding pens, scales, timers and a scoreboard for other people to place bets on the roosters. Behind the arena were also holes dug in the ground that had dead roosters in them with artificial fighting spurs still attached to their legs, deputies say.
"In this age of technology, it baffles and disgusts me that individuals will still seek out to harm animals for their pure entertainment," CCSO Animal Control Unit Supervisor Lora Peckham said in a statement. "I am extremely grateful to my team and the outstanding staff at Citrus County animal shelter for saving these helpless animals, working well into the midnight hours."
Animal control with the sheriff's office says they took hold of 60 roosters and other animals that there on the property that lacked proper care. Detectives say they also took the fighting equipment used in the arena and over $5,000 used for placing bets on the roosters.
"Cockfighting is an illegal, gruesome sport with no place in our community," Animal Services Director Colleen Yarbrough said in a statement. "Citrus County Animal Services staff will be collecting veterinary forensic evidence and providing care for the victims. We urge citizens to speak up about animal cruelty. If you see something, say something."
Prendergast said he had a clear message for anyone involved in cockfighting.
"If you're going to break the law in my county, we're going to find you, and we get to pick the time and place when we get to serve the search warrant. The wake up calls are never at a pleasant hour," he said.
Hernandez, 58, was charged for fighting or baiting animals and promoting, staging, advertising or charging any admission fee to a fight or baiting between two or more animals.
The six other men were charged with fighting or baiting animals and attending the fighting or baiting of animals.
Below is the list of the names of the men arrested:
- Carlos Cortes,72
- Ramon Castro, 79
- Rafael Lopez, 60
- Pedro Gutierrez, 65
- Elias Domenech, 24
- Melbin Mojica-Torres, 43