Two men convicted of felony dog-fighting charges

Two young Spokane men were convicted Friday of felony dog-fighting charges in a trial where the evidence was so circumstantial that the judge considered dismissing the charges before deciding to send the case to the jury for a decision.

Peter S. Nelson, 24, and 26-year old Alfredo Renteria were found guilty of animal fighting, a felony with a sentencing range of 0 to 365 days in jail. Both men will remain free on bond until sentencing before Spokane County Superior Court Judge Tari Eitzen next month.

Renteria was found not guilty of animal cruelty – a charge brought after a neighbor said she saw him beating a pit bull with a pipe in his backyard at 8006 E. Utah Ave. During the trial, the witness said she saw a hairy, shirtless man – and Renteria’s lawyer had him take off his shirt to show he had minimal body hair.

Both men were found not guilty of transporting or confining animals in an unsafe manner, but were found guilty of operating an unlicensed kennel at Renteria’s house, where Nelson was the tenant.

It took days to pick a jury to hear the first charges of organized animal fighting in Spokane County. Many prospective jurors were questioned individually about the high-profile case of football star Michael Vick, serving a federal prison sentence for running a dog-fighting operation and helping to kill six to eight pit bulls in rural Virginia. Several were excused when they said they couldn’t be fair to Nelson and Renteria.

A search warrant was executed at Renteria’s house on April 24 last year. Law enforcement and animal control officers found eight pit bulls, including six adults with scars and other injuries and two healthy puppies. They also seized veterinary supplies, training logs and several periodicals, including “Your Friend and Mine,” which Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Steve Garvin described as an underground dog-fighting publication.

Garvin also told the jury about large tattoos on Nelson’s body, including one covering his back that depicts two dogs fighting.

Assistant Public Defender Matthew Harget, Nelson’s attorney, and Scott Hill, representing Renteria, hammered on the lack of direct evidence linking the two men to a dog-fighting ring.

At the close of testimony last week, Eitzen said she’d struggled with the circumstantial nature of the evidence over the long Presidents Day weekend, but decided to send the case to the jury rather than dismiss the charges.