Update: More on the Balt. Co. dogfighting bust
Sun reporter Nick Madigan just filed this update to the breaking news we reported earlier today about the dogfighting bust in Baltimore County.
He reports: Three North Point residents have been arrested and charged with running a dog-fighting ring from a house stocked with steroids and exercise equipment designed to give the animals extra strength and stamina.
Baltimore County police said Tuesday they discovered the dog-fighting ring last week when they executed search warrants that were intended to uncover a drug-dealing operation in a two-story townhouse on the 7500 block of Lange Street, near the intersection of Merritt Boulevard and North Point Road.
Police Chief James W. Johnson said detectives found not only numerous items indicating that illicit drugs were being sold from there but all sorts of paraphernalia that pointed to dog fighting.
“They also recovered three highly aggressive pit bulls that were living there and were owned by one of these people,” Johnson said. The animals, which he said showed signs of having been injured at some point, were taken in by Baltimore County Animal Control officers, with whom they remain.
Johnson said that there was blood spatter on some walls, suggesting that dog fights had taken place inside the house. Also found were weights, chains, collars and a treadmill that was used to develop stamina in the animals.
“Imagine weight discs of about 10 or 15 pounds, with leather straps designed to go around the neck or head to build muscle strength in the neck and the jaw,” the police chief said. “The suspects also had large quantities of steroids and antibiotics, medicated bandages, IV’s and syringes to treat dogs’ injuries.”
A statement from the police department identified the three people arrested as Nicole Marie Caruso, 26; Michael Eckert, 25; and Romy Bogier, 28. The latter was the owner of the dogs, the chief said.
Comments
I hope these three individuals pay for their actions. Animal abuse should not be tolerated. Violence is violence. People need to realize that dog fighting is a serious crime and people can't just "do their time" and then become NFL quarterbacks.
Posted by: Brandon | January 26, 2010 4:35 PM
GARBAGE!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: minpinmama | January 26, 2010 8:30 PM
Thank-you Jill for bringing us this story. Please provide updates as you have them. I have been following the Phoenix case (Johnson Twin's trial date set for March 22nd) and the abuse case of the cat owned by an Edgemere family (Baltimore County) which involved three men (one was house sitting trial date set for February 17th). I have great interest in following this as well. Now before anyone reads this and says, "she values an animal's life more than a human", I say "bullcrap"!!! I stand up against abuse...whether that's a dog or a human is irrelevant.
Posted by: JeanneG | January 26, 2010 9:44 PM
I am hoping that this is not true. The female suspect is a groomer at my doggie daycare and the three "aggressive" dogs they are referring to are nothing of the sort. She is heavily involved with BARCS and we have had lengthly conversations about animal abuse, as all three dogs are rescues. One is very old and sleeps with my old dog at the daycare, the other two are younger, one of which is about 8mo. and plays so well with all of the dogs there. I am the last person that would EVER defend a dog fighting suspect, but I think that she is being wrongfully accused, I cannot speak for the men that she is involved with. My heart goes out to the three dogs, that I know quite well and that are now separated in a shelter. It breaks my heart. I am an active member in the dog community and feel as if I can separate the good from the bad. I just hope that I haven't been played for a fool for months. My three dogs have attended the daycare that she directs for months now and we have never had an issue. Again, I am only speaking in regard to the female suspect.
Posted by: Jennifer | January 26, 2010 9:47 PM