Tulare County Sheriffs saved 28 live birds from a cockfighting ring on January 27th. Deputies were given a heads up about the animal abuse, and were dispatched to an orange grove off Avenue 320 and Road 228 in Woodlake. When officers arrived, the suspected participants scurried away at the sight of the bright lights.
scene of cockfighting
With the assistance of officers from surrounding police departments, (Woodlake, Farmersville, and Exeter), Tulare County Deputies arrested 6 suspects: 70-year old Louie Miguel Florendo of Visalia, 52-year old Ismael Arreazola of Fresno, 69-year old Jerry Charles of Sanger, 70-year old Robert Kruzic of Fresno, 63-year old Jose Luis Nieto of Bakersfield, and 55-year-old Ricardo Valverde Aquino of Bakersfield.
Investigators found additional evidence supporting this was an illegal cockfighting ring in progress including long knives and, unfortunately, two dead birds. The suspects were booked into the Tulare Pre-Trail Adult Facility while the live birds were handed over to the Tulare County Animal Control.
Photos from TCSO
