ROBERTA, Ga. — Two Georgia men are headed to prison after they were convicted on dogfighting and drug distribution charges.
Jarvis Lockett, 41, and Christopher Raines, 51, were part of a multi state dogfighting and cocaine trafficking ring, investigators said.
Lockett was sentenced to 10 years in prison and three years supervised release and Raines was sentenced to 135 months in prison, five years supervised release and a $10,000 fine.
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“Lockett and Raines were conspirators in a criminal enterprise that profited from the suffering of both animal and human victims,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Dog-fighting is closely associated with other serious crimes, and today’s sentences show that those who engage in this cruel and inhumane practice face significant prison time.”
Lockett, of Warner Robins, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 10 years’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release after.
Prosecutors said the multi-state investigation started with Lockett, who was an “active and aggressive participant in the dog-fighting world.”
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“We have investigated animal cruelty cases in the past, so initially when this information came in, we thought that it would involve a handful of local people fighting dogs for sport,” said Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese. “What started out as a local investigation soon turned into a complex investigation that included people from multiple states and all walks of life.”
Deese said officers rescued 168 pit bulls during the execution of search warrants and “not the first dog acted aggressively toward the officers.”
“The dogs just wanted attention and love,” Deese said. “Organized dog-fighting is a dark, sick and disgusting culture that has no place in our society.”
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Investigators said the dogfighting ring was based out of Roberta, Georgia, and extended into North Georgia, Florida and Alabama.
Agents said Lockett served as “referee” for dog fights, and text messages between him and other members of the ring discussed killing an unaggressive dog, soliciting a female dog and buying cocaine.
In 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at a Roberta home where they found evidence of dog fighting that included a dog weight training vest, a dog-fighting pit, a dog treadmill and blood-stained carpet and walls.
On the same day, they executed a search warrant at Lockett’s Warner Robins home, where they found an extremely injured pit bull that later died.
A search warrant executed at Raines’ property in Talbotton recovered 41 dogs that were malnourished and scarred. They also uncovered a skin stapler, IV kits, vet supplies and dog breeding certificates.
Raines admitted in a plea agreement that he was a manager of the criminal organization and was responsible for drug transactions.
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