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Read comments (5)Preliminary hearings will be held for all three of the men arrested in the Oct. 21 raid on a property in rural Dudley.
Jamie Sifford, 29 of Dudley, Jessey Short, 30 of Cape Girardeau, and Curtis Pickering, 28 of Fulton, Tenn. have preliminary hearings scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Nov. 29.
Short and Siffort will appear before Judge Joe Z. Satterfield. Pickering, who filed a motion for a change of judge will go before Judge Stephen Mitchell.
Sifford faces 18 charges of the Class D felony of dogfighting, three counts of the Class C felony of Possession of a controlled substance and one Class A misdemeanor Possession of drug paraphernalia.
If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 94 years if found guilty of all charges and depending on whether the sentences would run consecutively or conucurrent.
There is one charge for each dog determined to have been fought at some point.
Short, who posted a $125,000 cash bond on Nov. 2, faces three charges of felony dog fighting. He faces a maximum of 12 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
Pickering has only been charged with two counts of dog fighting in Missouri, but faces more charges upon his return to Tenn. resulting from a raid on his South Fulton property.
Investigators reportedly recovered videos at both residences of at least one of the dogs found being fought.
The Oct. 21 raid on Sifford's residence was a cooperative effort of the Stoddard County Sheriff's Dept., the SEMO Drug Task Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri Humane Society.
Investigators recovered a large amount of evidence consistent with dog fighting including weights, treadmills, a bloody mat covering the floor of what was believed to be the ring where dogs were fought and breaker bars used to pry one dog's jaws from another.
The fate of the dogs seized from the scene is still unknown, but Humane Society officials have suggested they will likely be adopted out to people experienced with rehabilitating fighting dogs. Euthanasia is still a possibility for some.
Currently, the dogs are being housed at the Missouri Humane Society Headquarters on Macklind Avenue in St. Louis while they await a disposition hearing to determine who will have custody. For the time being, the dogs are considered evidence.
Look for more on this story in future editions of The Daily Statesman.
We need to remember that the owners make the dog the way they are not their breed. I have 2 pitbulls and 4 kids and my dogs would die for one of my kids.
I guess when certain breeds are outlawed in towns,they almost have to put them down if they can't be adopted.
I'm sure these shelters funds are very limited,but it seems so sad to do this.
Back in Europe during the Great Plague,towns killed cats with the wrong thinking they caused the Black Death. Instead as we now know,cats kill the vermin that carry the plague,so they extended the suffering by eliminating them.
Have we humans really come that far?
I can see why one would want these dogs saved if possible--all dogs deserve kindness and a good life. In the same vein, I hope those who advocate for these dogs are also fighting to end the breeding of dogs altogether by refusing to purchase dogs from breeders or pet stores and instead adopting from shelters. As long as humans breed dogs, dogs will have to be euthanized in shelters. Most of the dogs shelters are forced to euthanize are perfectly healthy and social; there are just too many animals and not enough homes.
I agree. Keep us posted, Corey!
Just had a case of dogfighting about 30 miles from Pensacola. About 2 weeks ago the lazy, ignorant, totally biased administrators of the Santa Rosa Animal Shelter euthanized 31..that's THIRTY ONE...Pit Bulls. Some were pups and some had never been fought. In my opinion, that is criminal also.
Corey, I hope you stay on top of this story and keep those questions going to the people at the St. Louis Humane Society. A small number of dogs may be far too "programmed" to fight. The most humane choice may be euthanasia. However, dedicated efforts can return almost all dogs to a "pet ready" stage following temperament evaluations. PIT BULLS LOVE PEOPLE...no matter how bad those people have been to them. Amazing!!!
Take a drive someday up to St. Louis and tell them you are there to take pictures of the dogs from this case and see what they tell you. I know it's a long ride but would be worth it for the story you may get. It is time for those dogs to get out of their cages and into homes. Photo evidence has been collected of any wounds. There is no reason to keep them caged.