Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 8, 1994 TAG: 9408090040
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Later, a pack of pit bulls attacked and killed an unsuspecting dog that was set free from a pen to die.
When they weren't killing weaker animals, the dogs were ordered by their owners to maul one another.
Those graphic images - captured on a home video expected to be used as evidence in a rare criminal case - offer a glimpse into Roanoke's small, secretive subculture of dogfighting.
Rumors of organized dogfights have persisted for years. But authorities say it is difficult to infiltrate a closed circle of owners who train their dogs to fight and people who attend the illegal events to watch and, in some cases, to bet on which animal survives.
To make an arrest, "you either have to have someone confess to it or have it on videotape," Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Greg Phillips said.
Last week, it was videotape. A grand jury in Roanoke Circuit Court decided that prosecutors had enough evidence to indict Gregory Lamont Hunt on 17 counts of cruelty to animals and conducting dogfights.
Hunt, 21, of Greenland Avenue Northwest, was accused of organizing dogfights held in a variety of locations in 1991 and 1992. After being indicted last Monday, Hunt turned himself in to authorities and was released Wednesday on $17,000 bond.
If convicted, Hunt will face up to 37 years in prison for one of the city's most egregious animal abuse cases ever.
Police and prosecutors are not disclosing how they obtained the videotapes and are releasing few details about the case against Hunt. But speaking in general terms, they confirm that dogfights are a popular form of entertainment among a small group of enthusiasts.
In circles where drugs are a sign of wealth and a 9mm automatic a symbol of power, owning a mean dog can be the finishing touch to a macho image for some enthusiasts.
"It can be a status symbol," said Lt. B.S. Lugar of the Roanoke Police Department's vice division, which was involved in investigating Hunt's case.
Although police may suspect who is running dogfights, catching them in action is much more difficult.
"This kind of activity is kept pretty quiet," Lugar said. "It's usually common knowledge where the dogfights are going to be held, but it's kept within the group."
Some fights reportedly have been held late at night in city parks, in garages and in fenced-in back yards. Other organizers seek more secluded spots in surrounding rural areas.
Waine Tomlinson, president of the League for Animal Protection in Roanoke, said the group has been hearing reports of dogfighting for years.
"It's a blood sport," Tomlinson said. "There's some perverse pleasure that people get out of that sort of thing that is impossible for others to understand. There is a certain element in society that is absolutely fascinated with a dog that can take someone's face off."
Sharon Hartman, an investigator for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, also has heard about the fights from anonymous callers who are reluctant to provide names or other details. "The people will tell you they don't want to get involved," she said.
Hartman said the callers usually give the same account: The fights are held in a ring that is about 15 feet in diameter, sometimes surrounded by a small fence. Some of the rings are shallow pits; others just bare dirt.
Dogs that are muzzled or chained are held at opposite ends of the ring, released and ordered to attack each other.
"Most of them will fight to the death, or the owners will say, `I'll bet $100 that my dog will tear yours up,''' Hartman said. "Sometimes, they won't stop them until it's too late."
Fighting dogs are often mistreated by their owners at an early age to make them aggressive, Hartman said. She has even heard rumors of people mixing gunpowder in their dogs' food to make them mean.
Although the dogfights in which Hunt allegedly was involved did not take place in a ring, and there seems to be no evidence of betting, authorities nonetheless say the fights were planned in advance and organized.
As the name indicates, pit bull terriers are bred to fight.
A cross between a bulldog and various breeds of terriers, a pit bull averages about 18 inches in height and weighs 38 to 44 pounds when full-grown.
"It's in their blood to fight with anything else," said Bill Jacob, owner of Falkenhorst K-9 Training Inc., a Roanoke business that specializes in training guard dogs.
However, Jacob and other dog trainers emphasize that pit bulls can be gentle and loving animals - unless they are taught otherwise.
"As a rule, they're not an aggressive breed unless they're trained to be mean," said Pam Jackson, a dog trainer at Canine Consultants of Roanoke.
"I've seen good and bad dogs of every breed that God put on Earth," she said. "It's all in the raising and the training."
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