Lehigh Acres man arrested in connection to cockfighting

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A Lehigh Acres man has been arrested after deputies found he was running a cockfighting ring near his home.

The Lee County Domestic Animal Services Department received a complaint on Nov. 5 referencing a possible cock fighting ring and tied up dead roosters on Texas Road.

On Friday, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office got involved and investigated the location.

They found evidence consistent with breeding and training for cockfights at the home of 54-year-old Carlos Antonio Alvarez.

We spoke to Dylan Breese, the founder of Ybor Misfits Micro Sanctuary, a wildlife sanctuary in Tampa that cares for feral street birds in Ybor.

He said, “Fighting any type of animal, of course, for entertainment or sport, is just an activity towards the bottom of how low people can go and what they do to entertain themselves.”

They recovered 11 chickens that were used in the ring, including steroids at the location.

All of the chickens had to be put down.

Sheriff Carmine Marceno released a statement that read, “It sickens me that people will use animals for entertainment purposes. I promise to always protect those who cannot defend themselves, and that includes animals of all kind. I am proud of my Agriculture Unit and Animal Cruelty Task Force for completing a quick and efficient investigation that resulted in an arrest. This is a great example of how ‘see it, say it, make the call’ can result in shutting down criminal activity.”

Alvarez was taken into custody Friday night and charged with five counts of using conservation animals for the purpose of animal fighting.

“I would say that cockfighting is probably more prevalent than we think it is. It’s something that happens in the shadows, and people are afraid to turn people in who are involved with it, but I think it’s something that deserves more attention,” Breese said.

Alvarez was released on Saturday after paying a bond of $1,250.

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