Man arrested in dog fight had previous conviction

CHURUBUSCO, Ind. (WANE) One of the 18 individuals arrested recently for taking part in a dog fighting competition apparently has a criminal history related to dog fights.

NewsChannel 15 was tipped off about the record via Report!t.

Donaver Jones was one of 18 people arrested by the Whitley County Sheriff's Department after police acted on a tip about a dog fight.

Mug Shot Gallery: 18 arrests after dog fighting raid

According to a Nov. 18, 2008 article in the Chicago Tribune , Jones was one of three people charged with felony dog fighting after a month-long investigation by Chicago police.

The Cook County Sheriff's Department said in a Nov. 2008 release that Jones had also been one of dozens arrested in 2006 "in a massive dog-fighting operation in Livingston County."

The 2008 release outlines the horrific scene police uncovered when they broke up the fight in Chicago: a makeshift ring covered in blood, a dog so severely injured it had to be carried out on a stretcher, and 50 people in attendance to watch. Those 50 people were charged with a attending a dogfight, a misdemeanor.

The Cook County Sheriff's Department stated that "[p]olice confiscated a tackle box filled with steroids, amphetamines, syringes and an IV drip from the home, all of which were used to keep the dogs aggressive and alive. They also found a staple gun being used to close wounds on the injured dogs, as well as thick wooden stakes used to drive apart the dogs’ jaws after they’d locked down on another dog."

According to the Sheriff's Department, Jones was found guilty of providing a site for a dog fight and sentenced in Bridgeview court in June 2012 to 24 months probation, anger management classes, and ordered to have no contact with companion animals.

Jones was also ordered to pay $3,612 in restitution in order to help pay for cost of a sanctuary home for the dogs and another $3,000 to cover the costs of Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC). Officers initially thought the dog found injured in the makeshift ring would not survive but, thanks to the care at CACC, it did.