- Florida, USA -
The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office said that on August 10, 2022, Community Crime Unit Detectives along with CCSO Animal Control responded to a property on 6619 West Copenhagen Street in Dunnellon, about suspected breeding of roosters for fighting.
Upon arrival, investigators found on the property many small A-frame-style structures with roosters tethered to the ground by each structure.
According to the affidavit, the roosters had “their combs, waddles, and spurs removed”.
Officials made contact with 65-years-old ROBERTO AREVALO MIRANDA (pictured), who lived in a camper on the property.
MIRANDA told detectives that he stayed on the property and worked for his friend who raises roosters to ship to the Philippines for fighting. MIRANDA further stated that he has lived on the property for approximately eight months and has started raising his own roosters. He told detectives that the roosters are bred here for the purposes of being sold as fighting roosters.
MIRANDA went on to say that he sells his roosters to a broker in Georgia who then sells them to unknown subjects in the Philippines.
During the course of the investigation, MIRANDA walked through the property with an officer and pointed at his roosters. According to the affidavit, MIRANDA said “any and all rosters with a black zip ties around one of the feet are his roosters.” There were a total of nine (9) roosters with black zip ties on their legs.
While walking through the property, the officer then saw two (2) dogs in a fenced-in area.
The dogs did not have any water, food, or shelter.
“It should be noted that the heat index via dispatch was 106 degrees in Dunnellon”, stated the affidavit.
The sheriff’s office said that CCSO Animal Control seized the two dogs, fifty-nine roosters, and hens.
MIRANDA was placed under arrest and transported to the Citrus County Detention Facility.
He is charged with nine counts of breeding, possessing, selling, and owning fighting animals with a bond of $5,000 per count.
He is additionally charged with two counts of animal cruelty with bond of $1,000 per count.
Online records show he is still in custody and his arraignment has been scheduled for August 31, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. before Judge Joel D. Fritton.
Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast said further investigation is ongoing to determine if any other suspects are related to this illegal breeding operation or if there is any connection to the previous case of cock fighting in Floral City.
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