Dogfighting in Youngstown demands full police response

Absent proof to the contrary, we believe the dead black and brown Rottweiler that was dropped off Wednesday at the Animal Charity office on South Avenue was meant as a warning to Dave Nelson, humane agent, not to pursue his investigation of dogfighting in Youngstown. And based on that belief, we urge Police Chief Robert Bush to assign officers to assist Nelson in cracking down on this blood sport -- a phrase used by the Ohio Department of Agriculture to describe this inhumane activity. Bloodbath more aptly describes what takes place when two dogs that are trained to kill are placed in a cage or other enclosure.
Nelson has been investigating dogfights on Sunshine Avenue and in the 2600 block of McGuffey Road. The probe was triggered by a complaint from the state agriculture department. Given that, and in light of the dead Rottweiler warning, we believe the Ohio Highway Patrol, the state's criminal investigative agency, should also become involved in the Youngstown case.
Over the past two weeks, Animal Charity has received several threatening phone calls.
It is evident that the organizers of this brutal activity are no better than the Mafia bosses of the Mahoning Valley's not-too-distant past who also used intimidation and threats to dissuade law enforcement from cracking down on illegal gambling, loan sharking and other mob crimes.
Dogfighting in Ohio has been a persistent problem and in January 2003, after months of research and discussion on how to eliminate the activity, the Ohio Dog Fighting Task Force released a final report of recommendations to the Ohio General Assembly. Among other things, the task force called for an increase in the criminal penalty from a fourth- to a third-degree felony.
Vicious criminal
But increasing the penalty isn't going to be a deterrent if the individual who is convicted isn't treated like the vicious criminal he is. Consider the case of Zacchaeus J. James of Youngstown, who was found guilty of two counts of dogfighting and one count of illegal drug possession. James was sentenced to two 18-month prison sentences for the dogfighting and a 12-month concurrent prison sentence for illegal drug possession.
However, the record from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction shows that he was admitted to the Northcoast Correction Treatment Facility on May 15, 2002, and was released by court order Aug. 21, 2002.
That certainly does not send a message that the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court is serious about punishing such criminals.
Why get so incensed about dogfighting? Consider these facts: Injuries inflicted and sustained by dogs participating in fights are frequently severe, and often fatal; dogs that may survive the fight often die of blood loss, shock, dehydration, exhaustion or infection hours or even days after the fight; owners often train their dogs for fights using smaller animals such as cats, rabbits or small dogs; "bait" animals may be stolen pets or animals obtained through "free to good home" advertisements.
The black and brown Rottweiler that was left at the Animal Charity office had severe bite marks on its face from dogfighting. However, Nelson says the dog died from a blow to the head with a blunt object.
The killer deserves no mercy.