FROSTPROOF, Fla. — It’s brutal, bloody and illegal – but some people consider cock-fighting a sport.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office does not.
Deputies broke up an alleged cock-fighting event Saturday in Frostproof, arresting 12 men and one woman.
According to a news release, a large crowd had gathered to watch juiced up roosters fight. PCSO says deputies got a search warrant after receiving a tip, and they found injured roosters, a fighting ring, acrylic spurs and scales.
There were also performance-enhancing drugs, blood-clotting ointments, vitamins and antibiotics, according to the release.
Jorge Luis Ocasio-Montanez and Carmen Idalia Rivera-Rodriguez, who are both 56 years old were both charged with owning equipment for animal fighting, promoting animal fights, owning animals for fighting and operating property for animal fighting.
“Keeping and fighting these animals for the purpose of gaming and profit will not be tolerated. It’s extremely violent and cruel to the birds,” Sheriff Grady Judd said. “I’m glad we were able to shut this down.”
The 11 other men deputies arrested were charged with attending the fighting of animals. They were identified in the release as:
- Samuel Rosario-Maisonet,18, from Sebring
- Ramon Rivera-Ortiz, 71, from Avon Park
- Eleazar Jimenez-Laporte, 44, from Avon Park
- Paulino Adelso Borgen-De Jesus, 56, from Orlando
- Victor Manuel Montes-Maldonado, 39, from Sebring
- Wilfredo Rivera-Herrera, 61, from Sebring
- Jose Guadalupe Martinez-Martinez, 38, from Avon Park
- Leasiv N. Pantoja, 38, from Frostproof
- Rafael Marquez-Baez, 56, from Kissimmee
- Johnathan Ernesto Colon-Portilatin, 25, from Kissimmee
- Jose Angel Garcia-Baez, 52, Kissimmee
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