FAIRMONT — Twelve people were arrested Saturday following a raid on a cockfighting operation eight miles south of Fairmont, according to the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office.
Tips from Fairmont residents during a two-month investigation led detectives to the cockfighting operation in Ashpole swamp, near N.C. 41, said Sheriff Kenneth Sealey.
According to a statement from Sealey, three chickens were found dead, and 14 more were injured.
Money, drug paraphernalia, and eight vehicles were seized. One vehicle that was seized had been reported stolen in 2009.
“I think that this is a tragedy when people are fighting any type of animal and this will not be tolerated in Robeson County,” Sealey said in the statement.
Arrested were:
— Terry Russel Locklear, 40, of 826 Mark Road in Dillon, S.C., was charged with cockfighting, cruelty to animals and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He is out on a $7,000 secured bond.
— Troy Jack Collins, 73, of 793 Oakdale Church Road in Fairmont, and Austin Hamilton, 41, of 200 Rabbit Place in Dillon, were each charged with cockfighting, cruelty to animals and carrying a concealed weapon. They are out of jail after making a $5,000 secured bond.
— Fairmont residents Hubert Kissam, 51, of 533 Harrington Road; Timothy Bryant, 45, of 1801 Rolling Oaks Road; Troy Legrand Collins, 44, of 793 Oxendine Church Road; James Maurice Thompson, 50, of 14145 N.C. 41 South; Dennis Simmons, 25, of 2362 Mill Branch Road; Craig Caulder, 42, of 3393 Marietta Road; Dillon resident Tracey Meares, 38, of 1923 Braswell Court; and Tommy Bass, 62, of 312 Fairbluff Road in Lake View S.C., were each charged with cockfighting and cruelty to animals. All are out of jail after making a $5,000 secured bond.
— Nicholas Martinez, 27, of 1919 Braswell Court in Dillon, remains in jail on Tuesday under a $5,000 secured bond on charges of cockfighting, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and cruelty to animals.
According to Sealey, sheriff’s Lt. Dru Martin led the investigation, assisted by the State Highway Patrol, State Bureau of Investigation, SWAT teams from the Lumberton Police Department and Bladen County Sheriff’s Office and the Humane Society of the United States.
I hope they are punished to the full extent of the law. However, I don't wish that they were shot on sight or that they will be thrown in a pit and made to fight each other to the death. What they did is wrong and disgusting, but wishing for them to meet a cruel demise would make me no better than them.
I'm glad to see that those involved have a variety of backgrounds and different shades of skin. Makes it harder for race baiters to troll this story.