Ohio’s Stance on Cockfighting
Ohio law expressly forbids the use or training of animals for sport-fighting. In Section 959, the Ohio Revised Code states that:
“No person shall knowingly engage in cockfighting, bearbaiting, or pitting an animal against another; no person shall receive money from the admission of another to a place kept for such purpose; no person shall use, train, or possess any animal for [the purpose of] seizing, detaining, or maltreating a domestic animal. Any person who purchases a ticket to such place, or is present thereat, or witness to such spectacle, is an aider and abetter [of a crime].” (ORC sec. 959.15)
Prosecuting Cockfighting Cases
Cockfighting is an abusive practice that harms animals, endangers the health and safety of the public, and is known to facilitate other crimes (such as illegal gambling, drug abuse and sales, and firearms offenses).
Oddly enough, while dogfighting is treated as a felony offense under Ohio law, cockfighting is only considered a fourth-degree misdemeanor offense. However, we are committed to holding these offenders accountable for their actions to the greatest extent provided for by law.
Our firm was founded on the principal that all creatures are entitled to a standard of ethical treatment, and we stand by this belief today. Over the past 20 years, Holland & Muirden has successfully prosecuted numerous cockfighting-related cases all over Ohio.
While it is often difficult to prove that an individual was acting with the intention to train their birds for bloodsport, our attorneys have developed a strong background in emphasizing the most effective pieces of evidence to win a cockfighting case.
The presence of syringes (for digitalis heart stimulants, caffeine, or Vitamins B-12, B-15, and K), testosterone capsules, amphetamine stimulants, sutures, and other seemingly innocuous items can work wonders in convincing a courtroom of an individual’s involvement in cockfighting.
Other common accessories include fighting spurs (pictured left), training muffs, leg gaffs, and cockfighting supplement medications (injectable or otherwise), such as Amino Plex, Testrone Forte, “Liquid Lightning”, “Rooster Charge”, “Red Rooster Booster”, “Blitz Energy Fuel”, and “Cock Booster”.
