Measure makes dogfights felonies in Idaho

BOISE – Gov. Butch Otter on Monday signed a bill that makes running a dogfighting operation in Idaho a felony, leaving neighboring Wyoming as the last state where such activities are only a misdemeanor.

Wyoming is also addressing the issue; a similar bill has cleared its state House and is being debated in the Senate.

Idaho’s Republican governor said the prosecution of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in Virginia “brought people together” in Idaho after four years in which similar legislation failed to gain a foothold.

The bill also gained support after an eastern Idaho couple were arrested during a drug raid on their home last year and charged with misdemeanor dogfighting.

“We have finally arrived at a time when we recognize the practice for what it is,” Otter told reporters as he signed the bill. “It’s a scourge on society.”

The measure passed the Idaho House 67-0, and the Senate 31-4.

Under the new law, running a for-profit dogfighting operation is punishable by up to five years in jail and $50,000 in fines. Attending a dogfight as a knowing spectator is a misdemeanor.

Lawmakers said they hoped the tougher sanctions would help law enforcement agents combat drugs, illegal gambling, weapons violations and gang activity that may accompany dogfighting.

In the arrest last August, Andy Willard, 23, and Tiffany Willard, 24, were originally targeted in a sting in Oneida County intended to net illegal drugs. “We’re thrilled with the legislation,” said Jeff Rosenthal, executive director of the Idaho Humane Society, which along with Idaho Farm Bureau, Idaho Woolgrowers Association, state Department of Agriculture, Idaho Prosecuting Attorneys Association, Idaho Sheriff’s Association and the federal prosecutor’s office supported the bill.