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Cockfighting crimes increasing in San Bernardino County, video warns

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Weeks after a Fontana man was arrested for allegedly keeping more than 500 roosters for cockfighting, San Bernardino County officials released a video to combat the crime, calling it an “increasing problem.”

The four-minute video follows the raid of a Fontana home and shows images of roosters tied to tethers in small, enclosed pens that fill the backyard of a residential home, as well as gaffs and mitts used for training in cockfighting. It also shows what appears to be a dead chicken.

Officials with the district attorney’s office say they have seen an increase in cockfighting crimes over the last several years.

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In April 2012, sheriff’s deputies raided a cockfighting event in Hesperia and found 63 live roosters, 14 dead ones and more than $20,000 in cash. Sixty-eight arrests were made that day.

Later that year, Ontario police and the Inland Valley Humane Society found 1,000 gamecocks at a suspected cockfighting ring in the city.

In California, a first offense for cockfighting is charged as a misdemeanor. Subsequent arrests can be felonies.

The San Bernardino County district attorney’s office said cockfighting is often tied to other crimes, and the goal of the video is to continue to educate the community about the dangers of having a gamecock-breeding facility in a residential area. It also presents health hazards.

“When so many birds are placed in a small area like this, it’s not only harmful to the health of the birds, but it creates an ideal environment for diseases to be spread,” Dist. Atty. Mike Ramos said Friday in a statement.

“Whether it’s a facility that is breeding birds for future fights or a location where the actual fighting is taking place,” he continued, “cockfighting is a clear threat to community safety, and it will not be tolerated in this county.”

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For Inland Empire news follow @James_Barragan.

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