Raid nets evidence of cockfights
Police say they got a glimpse into the underground activity of cockfighting when they found a facility on Wood Street in Middleborough that apparently was being used to breed and train roosters.
Police uncovered the suspected cockfighting operation last Wednesday, when they arrested Samuel C. Rodriguez on charges of being a fugitive from justice in New York, where he faces drug charges.
Rodriguez, 46, has been held without bail since his Feb. 2 arrest, and is due in Wareham District Court tomorrow for a motion hearing on the fugitive charge.
As of Monday, no criminal charges had been filed related to the cockfighting allegations.
During the raid last Wednesday, officers from the Middleborough Police Department, New York City Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, Connecticut State Police, and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency searched Rodriguez's home at 287 Wood St. They discovered cockfighting paraphernalia and more than 400 chickens and roosters on the 15-acre gated property.
''We believe he was a supplier for cockfighting enthusiasts," said Middleborough Detective Joseph M. Perkins. ''We don't believe fights were taking place there."
An officer from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals responded to the scene, but did not file criminal charges or seize the animals, said Perkins.
Middleborough Animal Control Officer William Wyatt said the investigation has been turned over to the MSPCA.
Peter E. Gollub, director of the MSPCA Law Enforcement Department, said it would not be ''appropriate" for him to comment on the case.
''It's something we're still looking at," said Gollub.
In recent years, MSPCA interventions into animal fighting cases have been ''sporadic," said Gollub.
In June 1988, authorities seized 80 roosters from a cockfighting arena in Granville, a small town in Western Massachusetts. At the time, the MSPCA hailed the raid as one of the largest in the organization's history.
Cockfighting is a centuries-old sport in which birds are pitted against each other and spectators bet on the outcome. The birds peck and kick each other with spurs attached to their feet, with the loser often fatally wounded. It remains popular in Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and the Middle East.
Massachusetts was the first state in America to ban cockfighting, in 1836. Today, cockfighting is outlawed in every state except Louisiana and New Mexico.
In Massachusetts, participating in a cockfight is a felony, carrying a maximum fine of $1,000 and up to five years in jail. Watching a cockfight is a misdemeanor, with a maximum fine of $250 and up to one month in jail. But the activity continues to thrive in secret locations, with fights staged in barns or soundproofed basements, and spectators drawn by word of mouth.
In 2003, a new federal law toughened the penalties for interstate shipment of birds for cockfighting.
Last week's discovery was reportedly a first for Middleborough, historically an industrial town that has seen its population rise to 19,941 during the area's growth in recent years.
When officers searched the property last Wednesday, police reported finding perhaps 400 roosters and chickens in three coops outside the home.
Some of the birds' chests had been shaven or plucked, said Perkins, which usually signifies a trained fighting bird. They also found a number of dead birds.
''At some point we realized the enormity of the cockfighting issue. We notified the MSPCA . . . they responded, and we were told that they would not be taking any action. They chose not to do anything," said Perkins.
According to documents filed in Wareham District Court, Rodriguez is a native of Puerto Rico who works as auto mechanic. He lives with his wife and son at 287 Wood St., a modest four-bedroom home at the end of a long driveway guarded by a chain-link fence and gate. Property records list his wife, Rochelle Rodriguez, as the owner.
Police officers also found books about cockfighting, a dummy rooster apparently used for training birds to fight, an incubator, and vitamins, Perkins said.
During the search, some of the birds attacked the police officers, Perkins said.
''I have never seen anything like that," he said.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com.
