2 arrested, hundreds of birds seized after cockfighting ring busted
Police looking for a suspect in a shooting earlier this week stumbled upon a large-scale cockfighting operation in the Spencer area.
That lead to the arrests of two people on the property, who police say also had drugs and guns.
Beside the nearly 300 hens and roosters on the property, police say they found things like blades, knifes and gaffs that are used in those fights.
Animal welfare workers have been scrambling to make room for all those birds.
Police say they showed up looked for a suspect from a shooting on NW 39th street and Portland.
“They were attempting to search for a suspect who had an assault with a deadly weapon warrant for his arrest," said Officer Megan Morgan with the Oklahoma City Police. "Officers located the suspect at that house and made an arrest. While they were there, they developed reason to believe there may be some illegal activity going on inside that home.”
Police arrested Randall Richards and Mayra Richards.
After searching their home, police found more than two pounds of crystal meth, $70,000 in cash, a stolen gun and all the tools necessary for running a cock fighting operation.
Now, the birds are making their temporary home at Oklahoma City Animal Welfare while this case plays out in court.
“In the meantime, we’ll continue to house them here," said Jon Gary, Oklahoma City's animal welfare superintendent. "If the owner does relinquish ownership where we gain custody of the birds, then at that time we do work with a couple of different organizations out of state that specialize in these types of rooster, and a lot of the hens will be able to be adopted here.
Gary says they've dealt with this situation before, but lately there have been more than usual.
This was the largest number of roosters he's seen in a bust.
“This is our third one in about a years time, which is a lot for us," Gary said. "Typically, we see about one every few years. So, to have three in a year's time is a little disturbing. Obviously, it’s tough on these birds, you know, it’s a cruel event.
Police say neither of those two suspects have been charged for Tuesday's shooting.
Cockfighting was made illegal in Oklahoma in 2002.
