Indianapolis Star

Muncie officials combatting dog fighting contests

The Associated Press
April 7, 2005

MUNCIE, IND. -- Police officers confiscated five pit bulls from two homes and arrested two men for conducting dogfights, which authorities say is a growing problem in the city.

The dogfighting arrests were the first in Muncie in recent memory, Deputy Police Chief Terry Winters said. He called Wednesday's arrests the "tip of the iceberg" in an ongoing investigation.

"These aren't the only two guys involved," Winters told The Star Press. "We're hoping now some more people will start calling in and we'll get some more information."

The Muncie/Delaware County Dogfighting Task Force is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anybody involved in the illegal contests, officials said.

Prosecutors charged Joseph Keating, 18, and Tyson Carpenter, 20, both of Muncie, on two felony counts each of animal fighting. Both were being held Thursday in the Delaware County Jail.

Keating had hosted fights Monday and Tuesday in a back bedroom at his home, with Carpenter bringing a pit bull each night to fight a dog belonging to Keating, police said.

Four or five people were in the house at the time of the fights, and one of them tipped off police, Winters said.

Officers found a young pit bull and a larger pit bull with scars and bite marks on its ears and shoulders in Keating's home. Three adult dogs were removed from Tyson's home, Winters said.

Dogfighting involves placing two animals in a pit where they must fight until one becomes too injured or too exhausted to continue. Dogs often die from dehydration, blood loss, infection, exhaustion or shock and owners kill many of the losing dogs by shooting them, according to the Humane Society of the United States.