Second arrest made in Nutbush Cockfighting Operation
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A second arrest has been made after a cockfighting operation where over 40 roosters and chickens were discovered at a Nutbush home earlier this month.
Jose Naranjo is charged with 47 counts of
aggravated cruelty to animals, four counts of
cruelty to animals, and two counts of
cock fighting.
On April 9, officers say they responded to an animal cruelty call at a home in the 1200 block of Weiner Road.
narcotics at the home when they discovered a cockfighting operation with over 40 chickens and roosters in the backyard. That is when they called Memphis Animal Control.
Officers say that most of the animals did not have proper shelter, some were in cages, and some of the roosters were tethered. They say a dead rooster was found in a cage along with two chicken/rooster skeletons, all in the backyard.
The beaks on two of the roosters had been filed down, three of the roosters had their crowns taken off, and leg weights were attached to some of the roosters, police say.
A stuffed “rooster glove,” often used to train roosters to attack other roosters, was found in the backyard. Several vitamins, steroids, and antibiotics, often used in cockfighting, were also found on the property.
A bullet-resistant vest carrier and bullet-resistant vest were found under a mattress in the bedroom, $1,488 in cash was found in a bedroom, several baggies of a white powdered substance and a black scale were found on the kitchen table, police say.
Memphis Animal Control took custody of 44 live roosters and chickens and the remains of the other three animals.
Police say Jose Naranjo and
Perla Hernandez were the only known adults who lived at the home. However, Naranjo was not present on the scene.
Hernandez was placed in Homeland Security’s custody but was later released without any charges from them. She was then arrested by the Memphis Police Department.
Perla Hernandez, 33, is facing more than 50 counts of animal cruelty and two counts of cockfighting. She was released from jail on a $10,000 bond and is due back in court June 2.
Jose Naranjo was booked into jail on April 27 and also released on a $10,000 bond. He is due in court on May 5.
.. poor Memphis though, I always root for them to get it together
