Four San Jose men were arrested Tuesday after a police
investigation uncovered evidence the men were raising roosters to
be used for fighting.
Morgan Hill – Four San Jose men were arrested Tuesday after a police investigation uncovered evidence the men were raising roosters to be used for fighting.
Dilbert Garcia, 52, Michael Garcia, 46, Ralph Garcia, 42, and Nick Garcia, 80, were arrested for two misdemeanors, possession of a bird for the purpose of fighting and commercial use of fowl. They were also cited for four municipal code violations, including noise and fly and odor violations.
Officers tagged and photographed 179 birds on Tuesday, according to Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing. The birds were on the property of a residence on Cochrane Road near Peet Road, close to the Coyote Estates housing development in northeast Morgan Hill.
The property came to the attention of the police in August, Swing said, when one of the neighbors called in a noise complaint to Animal Control Officer Daniel Pena. When he visited the property, Pena found 50-60 roosters contained in three separate areas. The waddles and combs of the roosters, the fleshy parts under the beak and on top of the head, had been cut, which is a common practice with roosters used for fighting.
Pena also found carcasses of decomposing roosters, burn barrels, which are often used to throw the bodies of the birds in when they die or are badly injured while fighting, and two dogs that appeared to be guard dogs, Swing said.
“On that first trip out there, we made contact with Jose Cruz-Mora, who said he rents (one of the three pens) to raise roosters for fighting to ship to Mexico,” Swing said. “That statement raised our concern, and we started an investigation.”
The police investigation has determined that one of the people associated with the pens on the property has a prior conviction for possession of a fighting rooster, he added.
Officers Greg Dini and Josh Norris worked on a search warrant for the property, Swing said, and the warrant was signed yesterday after a code enforcement officer was notified that there were a lot of people on the property and roosters running lose.
Dilbert Garcia had a no-bail warrant from Fresno, Swing said, so he was booked into Santa Clara County Jail. The other three family members were cited and released.
During the search of the property, officers found several types of vitamins and a product called “StopBleed,” commonly used in cockfighting.
As officers were tagging and photographing the birds, Swing said, occasionally one of them would get out of its individual cage, but instead of making a break for freedom, the bird would aggressively approach another caged bird, assuming a “fighting stance.”
Swing said the roosters will remain on the property until the case is adjudicated. A judge could order the birds euthanized at that time. Pena will be checking on them periodically to see that the birds are being properly cared for.
