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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Two charged in alleged South Kitsap cockfighting ring

The scene of the alleged cockfighting operation on Edmonds Street in South Kitsap. (Washington State Gambling Commission)
Associated Press

SOUTH KITSAP — The alleged ringleaders of a cockfighting ring off Bethel Burley Road were arrested Saturday in a bust by the Washington State Gambling Commission.

More than 300 roosters were seized at a home off Edmonds Street following a multiyear investigation by the commission that included surveillance of cockfights on three occasions earlier this year, according to documents filed in Kitsap County Superior Court. Agents also seized more than $35,000 in cash believed to be wagers and winnings.

Gambling commission agents said during the fights, knives and barbed hooks are attached to the birds’ legs and they are given drugs to make them aggressive. The animals, purposefully bred for fighting, are placed in a ring to fight to the death, while spectators place bets that range from $100 to $2,000 on them. Often, entry and bird disposal fees are levied on the betters.

“Cockfighting is a brutal blood sport that is almost always operated solely for the purpose of conducting illegal gambling,” Washington State Gambling Commission Director Dave Trujillo said in a new release. “With assistance from our law enforcement partners, we were able to take the ringleaders into custody and save these birds from a cruel and violent death.”

In the Saturday raid, gambling commission agents, with help from local police, detained 27 people at the home. The roosters, which gambling commission officials say cannot be rehabilitated, were “humanely euthanized,” while hens and chicks were removed by Kitsap Humane Society animal control staff.

Agents said in court documents they’d known about roosters at the Edmonds Street address because of a previous investigation in Thurston County. In February 2015, agents were also allegedly tipped off to a cockfight there and conducted “rolling surveillance” court documents said.

Agents learned of three separate cockfights earlier this year, on March 10, March 31 and April 28. They said in court documents that they collected evidence from each event. Two men, one the owner of the home and one the referee of the events, were arrested, gaming agents said. A third man was arrested and booked into jail for failing to provide his name to police.

Kitsap County prosecutors Monday charged Kenneth Castro San Nicolas, 55, and Joe Leon Guerrero Salas, 66 with four felony counts each of professional gambling and animal fighting.

Both pleaded not guilty. Their bail was set at $25,000.