Fackin' "A"!
SEBRING — It took a Highlands County jury just 30 minutes to find James Thomas Reed guilty of fighting dogs and cruelty to animals. The three men and three women were apparently unconvinced by Reed*s testimony. He wept about how much he had loved and how much he missed his pit bulls.
“He claims to love them, but he kept them in his backyard on those huge log chains,” $#@!istant State Attorney Courtney Lenhart said. The chains were staked into the sand or to immoveable blocks, which kept the dogs apart.“One of the mothers and the puppies were so skinny you could see their ribs.
Some of them had parvo. Some of them were in such bad shape they had to be put down. If you love them, you do can*t let them go through that,” Lenhart said. On Dec. 6, 2011, Highlands County Deputy Brett Hinkle saw Reed dangle a puppy over two other dogs. T
he defenseless dog was bait, expert witnesses testified, a trigger that would incite the fighting dogs to attack. When the men surrounding Reed saw Hinkle, they scattered from a dogfighting ring made of stacked tires. The deputy chased and arrested them. All were later convicted. Authorities confiscated more than 50 dogs at his and brother Ernest J. Reed*s neighboring house on High Avenue. Most were pit bulls or bred with bulldogs.
About half survived, Lenhart estimated. Two were immediately put down because they were in such poor medical shape. Two more were destroyed because they were too aggressive to trainers and other dogs. Another bit a foster mother and was euthanized. Most of the puppies were adopted, some taken halfway across the nation by a pit bull rescue. A year ago, another jury deliberated almost two hours before finding Reed guilty of attending a dog fight, a felony with a maximum sentence of five years, and resisting an officer, a misdemeanor with up to a one-year sentence.
It*s unlikely that Reed will actually go to prison, however. Florida uses a point system: a convicted defendant must tally more than 22 points. With a previous DUI and a few minor scrapes with the law, Reed had only 4.5 points when he was sentenced a year ago. Even 11 more felonies and 11 misdemeanors added on Wednesday won*t be enough for a judge to send Reed to prison, Lenhart and $#@!istant State Attorney Steve Houchin agreed.“He*s not a danger to his community,” Lenhart explained last year, “but he*s a danger to the dog community. It*s disgusting, what he did.” “I think that James Reed made a lot of money, and got himself quite a reputation in this county by torturing dogs,” Lenhart said Wednesday.
The two-day trial started Tuesday and ended quickly with Circuit Court Judge J. Dale Durrance instructing the jury at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. Were witnesses, including the defendant, straightforward in answering questions, the judge asked jurors to consider. Don*t give law enforcement officers more credibility than other witnesses. Jurors shouldn*t be swayed because they feel sorry for someone. Whether they like a lawyer isn*t a factor. The jury retired to deliberate and returned so quickly, the defense was caught off guard. Jurors had wait until Reed could be found and return to the courtroom. All but one juror avoided looking at Reed as they filed back inside. Dapper in a dark suit with foot-long dreadlocks wound into a bun, Reed stood stoically as the court clerk read the finding: count one, cruelty to animals, guilty; count two, guilty... count 12, animal fighting or baiting. Guilty on all 22 counts. Reed*s attorney, Yohance Kefense McCoy, asked for a directed verdict, meaning the judge should find that the jury never had enough evidence to convict Reed. Durrance rejected motion and ordered a presentencing investigation. Reed will return to the courtroom for sentencing on Jan. 26. -
See more at: Dogfighter found guilty
Dogfighter found guilty
SEBRING — It took a Highlands County jury just 30 minutes to find James Thomas Reed guilty of fighting dogs and cruelty to animals. The three men and three women were apparently unconvinced by Reed*s testimony. He wept about how much he had loved and how much he missed his pit bulls.
“He claims to love them, but he kept them in his backyard on those huge log chains,” $#@!istant State Attorney Courtney Lenhart said. The chains were staked into the sand or to immoveable blocks, which kept the dogs apart.“One of the mothers and the puppies were so skinny you could see their ribs.
Some of them had parvo. Some of them were in such bad shape they had to be put down. If you love them, you do can*t let them go through that,” Lenhart said. On Dec. 6, 2011, Highlands County Deputy Brett Hinkle saw Reed dangle a puppy over two other dogs. T
he defenseless dog was bait, expert witnesses testified, a trigger that would incite the fighting dogs to attack. When the men surrounding Reed saw Hinkle, they scattered from a dogfighting ring made of stacked tires. The deputy chased and arrested them. All were later convicted. Authorities confiscated more than 50 dogs at his and brother Ernest J. Reed*s neighboring house on High Avenue. Most were pit bulls or bred with bulldogs.
About half survived, Lenhart estimated. Two were immediately put down because they were in such poor medical shape. Two more were destroyed because they were too aggressive to trainers and other dogs. Another bit a foster mother and was euthanized. Most of the puppies were adopted, some taken halfway across the nation by a pit bull rescue. A year ago, another jury deliberated almost two hours before finding Reed guilty of attending a dog fight, a felony with a maximum sentence of five years, and resisting an officer, a misdemeanor with up to a one-year sentence.
It*s unlikely that Reed will actually go to prison, however. Florida uses a point system: a convicted defendant must tally more than 22 points. With a previous DUI and a few minor scrapes with the law, Reed had only 4.5 points when he was sentenced a year ago. Even 11 more felonies and 11 misdemeanors added on Wednesday won*t be enough for a judge to send Reed to prison, Lenhart and $#@!istant State Attorney Steve Houchin agreed.“He*s not a danger to his community,” Lenhart explained last year, “but he*s a danger to the dog community. It*s disgusting, what he did.” “I think that James Reed made a lot of money, and got himself quite a reputation in this county by torturing dogs,” Lenhart said Wednesday.
The two-day trial started Tuesday and ended quickly with Circuit Court Judge J. Dale Durrance instructing the jury at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. Were witnesses, including the defendant, straightforward in answering questions, the judge asked jurors to consider. Don*t give law enforcement officers more credibility than other witnesses. Jurors shouldn*t be swayed because they feel sorry for someone. Whether they like a lawyer isn*t a factor. The jury retired to deliberate and returned so quickly, the defense was caught off guard. Jurors had wait until Reed could be found and return to the courtroom. All but one juror avoided looking at Reed as they filed back inside. Dapper in a dark suit with foot-long dreadlocks wound into a bun, Reed stood stoically as the court clerk read the finding: count one, cruelty to animals, guilty; count two, guilty... count 12, animal fighting or baiting. Guilty on all 22 counts. Reed*s attorney, Yohance Kefense McCoy, asked for a directed verdict, meaning the judge should find that the jury never had enough evidence to convict Reed. Durrance rejected motion and ordered a presentencing investigation. Reed will return to the courtroom for sentencing on Jan. 26. -
See more at: Dogfighter found guilty
Dogfighter found guilty
FL: Dogfighter Found Guilty
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