IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — A Statesville man is facing dozens of felonies after deputies found more than 20 dogs in "deplorable" conditions and said he was the ring leader of dogfighting across several states.
The Iredell County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at a home on Whitney Lane on Thursday after investigators received a tip about possible dogfighting. During the search, investigators said they found evidence that suggested the suspect, 46-year-old Claude Anthony Sanders, trained dogs to fight, including medical supplies for injured animals. They also allegedly discovered a handgun and marijuana.
A total of 25 dogs were rescued from the property, according to Sheriff Darren Campbell. Some of the animals were found covered in feces and urine. Several of the dogs had obvious scars and injuries from fights, investigators said.
"The conditions that some of the dogs were found in were deplorable," Campbell said in a news release. "There were also signs of forced breeding and various exercise equipment to develop strength and stamina, which aid in dogfighting."
Sanders was arrested and charged with 24 felony counts of animal cruelty, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of marijuana. Sanders is also accused of organizing dogfights in North Carolina, South Carolina and several other states. A spokesperson with the sheriff's office said additional charges are pending.
He was taken to the Iredell County jail and given a $200,000 bond. He has a criminal history that includes previous dogfighting charges, according to the sheriff's office.
Animal advocacy groups rank North Carolina toward the bottom when it comes to animal protections, citing no major changes to state law in nearly 20 years. Spencer Merriweather, the Mecklenburg County district attorney, says it's a sad reality that many animal cruelty cases only top out as a low-level felony with suspects often avoiding prison time.
"People often don't consider what really is at stake," Merriweather said. "First of all, obviously, we're talking about animals that can't come in and testify for themselves. They are, by definition, a vulnerable entity."
John McHugh, state legislative director for the ASPCA's South Atlantic region, said attempts have been made to update North Carolina's animal laws, which he said lag behind most of the country and have not seen any major changes in about two decades.
"Looking at first offenses for dogfighting, North Carolina is in the bottom 10% of all states," McHugh said.
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