Property has been scene of several reported cockfights
Morgan Hill – A barn in unincorporated Morgan Hill was once again the focus of law enforcement activity as Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office deputies descended on the property March 28 with a search warrant after several recent raids related to cockfighting.
“We served a search warrant as part of a follow-up investigation to those incidents … There is a continuous investigation going on,” said Sheriff’s deputy Doug Vander Esch, adding that his comments were the only ones he was authorized to make.
The barn, on Sycamore Avenue at Armsby Lane, west of Morgan Hill and east of the Uvas reservoir, was the scene of several cockfights, according to deputies, who arrested six men for watching a cockfight when they were apprehended at the scene two weeks earlier on May 14.
Police were also called to the scene by a neighbor on April 13, but when officers arrived, the men had fled to the surrounding hills. They found one dead rooster and others that were bloody and injured.
On April 8, a neighbor reported 40 individuals scattered from the barn after police responded to a call about cockfighting.
Drugs and gambling are a big part of cockfighting, according to police, with participants betting on the outcome. The birds are typically placed in a makeshift ring with beaks to the ground until the signal to start is given, then they are released. The fight is usually to the death; many times both birds die, if not during the fight then afterward, from injuries.
Cockfighting is a misdemeanor in California and has been against the law since 1905.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@mo*************.com.
