OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP (WKZO-AM) — Tough new laws against dogfighting could mean a Kalamazoo man who got off with community service the last time he was arrested for crimes linked to the illegal sport, could be facing more-serious penalties if he is charged and prosecuted this time.
A raid by the Kalamazoo County Animal Service, the Humane Society of the United States and Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s deputies was staged Wednesday at the property owned by Kelvin Thomas, a man who was arrested in 2012 when over 30 dogs were seized from his property, along with dogfighting paraphernalia.
This time, they seized 10 dogs.
The HSUS alleges the dogs did not have adequate shelter, food or water. They also claimed the dogs were too thin and dehydrated.
Thomas has not been charged, but investigators say they are analyzing the evidence and examining the seven pit bulls and three Doberman pinschers.
In 2013, partly because of what happened in the Kalamazoo case, the Michigan legislature passed the harshest dogfighting penalties in the nation, where violators could be hit with a 20-year prison term and a $100,000 fine. The new laws also allow properties, homes, cars and other structures to be seized under racketeering statutes.
Whether any of that applies in this case will depend on the evidence.
– John McNeill
