Md. Cockfighting Suspect Bragged About His Involvement Online
ODENTON, Md. (WJZ) -- It's a story you saw right here on WJZ. We have new details on a cockfighting operation broken up by police in Anne Arundel County.
Derek Valcourt has more on the man police arrested and the hundreds of animals seized from his property.
WJZ has learned the man at the center of this case had no problem posting online about his involvement in this illegal sport.
Sky Eye Chopper 13 over a property on Patuxent Road in Odenton, where police with the help of the U.S. Humane Society confiscated more than 250 birds on Monday.
Animal Control officers say the property owner, Ethan Sam Harmon, was raising them to sell and participate in cockfighting.
Undercover footage from the Humane Society of the United States shows a cockfight in Kentucky back in 2010.
Two roosters--outfitted with sharp artificial spurs--put in a ring to fight to the death as spectators place bets.
On his Facebook page, photos show Sam Harmon covered in feathers posing with some of his winnings--admitting he's a cockfighter and even advocating for its legalization.
"Cockfighting is an extremely barbaric sport," said Janette Reever, Humane Society of the United States.
Reever was part of the raid on the Odenton property, which she calls a large-scale breeding facility.
They provided WJZ with video showing some of the conditions they found the birds living in.
Valcourt: "Do we believe these birds were being fought here, or were they just being sold here?"
Reever: "We believe they were being primarily bred for the purpose of fighting. We also found evidence that birds were being trained at that facility."
Harmon, a father of two young children, now faces 67 counts of animal cruelty for cockfighting and 22 charges for possession of cockfighting paraphernalia.
As a sign of how seriously authorities are taking this, Tuesday a judge ordered Harmon, who does have a prior criminal record, to be held on $1.5 million bail.
Police say the investigation began with a tip from a citizen back in May.
