WASHINGTON – Authorities rescued more than 250 chickens from an Odenton, Maryland, home Monday where police say the birds were being raised for cockfighting.
Ethan Harmon, 36, who lived at the home, was arrested and charged with 67 counts of animal cruelty for possession of birds intended for cockfighting and 22 counts of possession of cockfighting implements.
Harmon was being held in lieu of $1.5 million bail, according to the Capital Gazette reports.
During the joint investigation involving the Anne Arundel County Police Department, Anne Arundel County Animal Control and The Humane Society of the United States, authorities rescued more than 250 birds including roosters, hens and chicks and seized cockfighting paraphernalia, police and The Humane Society say.
Photos provided by the Humane Society show birds tethered and caged in a cluttered yard, with trash thrown about. One image shows an investigators holding a sharp, talon-like device.
A tip to the county’s animal control led investigators to the home in May. Investigators found the birds while serving a search warrant Monday, according to the Anne Arundel County Police Department.
“This inhumane activity has no place in Anne Arundel County, as it’s not only barbaric and cruel, but it’s often accompanied by other crimes including drug and weapons offenses,” Anne Arundel Police Chief Timothy Altomare said in a statement.
Police do not think cockfighting occurred on the farm at the corner of Patuxent and Conway roads.
Instead, Assistant State’s Attorney Kimberly DiPietro said during Harmon’s bail review she believes the birds were being sent to cockfight in others states and in the Philippines. DiPietro says Harmon bragged about the birds on social media.
“These birds were bred to be fought to the death with sharp knives tied to their feet. Cockfighting is an inhumane blood sport that we are working hard to eradicate in Maryland and nationwide. We are thankful for the Anne Arundel County authorities’ quick and efficient action to shut down this operation,” Janette Reever, deputy manager of animal fighting for The Humane Society, said in a statement.