Monroe County man charged with 13 counts of dog fighting, 2 counts of animal cruelty

MONROE COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) — Monroe County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man on Thursday, Aug. 3, in connection to a dog fighting ring.

The search warrant was executed in the Bermuda community by Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies assigned to the Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force.

Deputies found the dog fighting arena and collected evidence at Mixon Road. They also rescued around 38 dogs from a nearby residence. The dogs were then taken to Monroe County Animal Shelter for proper care from veterinarians.

Gecoby Penn was arrested and charged with 13 counts of dog fighting and two counts of animal cruelty. Monroe County Sheriff Tom Boatwright said he expects there will be more charges for Penn as the investigation is still ongoing.

Boatwright thanked MCSO members, Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force members, Alabama 35th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, ATF, U.S. Federal Probation officers, ALEA, Monroe County Animal Shelter and the Department of Homeland Security for their cooperation and commitment to the investigation.

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