NYE COUNTY (KTNV) — Three people have been arrested, hundreds of birds are in custody and thousands of dollars were seized after an investigation into possible cockfighting in Nye County.
The Nye County Sheriff's Office executed two search warrants and two separate Pahrump locations for allegedly breeding and training birds for illegal fighting activities.
During the operations, Jorge Guzman Torres, Grisel Juarez Diaz and Ignacio Juarez Gomez were arrested.
Torres is in the U.S. on a permanent resident card and is facing the following charges:
- 56 felony counts of owning a bird for the purpose of cockfighting
- 56 felony counts of animal abuse
- 2 felony counts of operating a residence for the purpose of cockfighting
- 1 gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to operate a residence for the purpose of cockfighting
- 63 gross misdemeanor counts of possession of a gaff (a curved round metal spike that tapers to a needle-sharp point, resembling a miniature ice pick)
- 9 felony counts of possession of personal identifying information to establish a false identity or status
Diaz, whose immigration status is pending, is facing charges including:
- 29 felony counts of owning a bird for the purpose of cockfighting
- 1 felony count of maintaining a residence for the purpose of cockfighting
- 1 gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to operate a residence for the purpose of cockfighting
- 29 felony counts of animal abuse
- 63 gross misdemeanor counts of possession of a gaff
Gomez, who Nye County authorities said is undocumented, is being charged with:
- 1 felony count of operating a premises for the purpose of cockfighting
- 1 felony count of owning a bird for the purpose of cockfighting
- 1 gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to operate a residence for the purpose of cockfighting
- 20 gross misdemeanor counts of possession of a gaff
- 1 felony count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm
Items seized during the execution of the warrants included cockfighting implements, 11 firearms, 478 birds, and more than $60,000 in cash.
This large-scale operation involved multiple agencies and divisions, including Homeland Security Investigations, United States Department of Agriculture, Nye County Animal Control, Nye County Sheriff's Office SWAT and the Sheriff’s Auxiliary Unit.
-
Judge allows use of police interview in trial for man accused of killing Tupac
A judge is allowing a police interview of the man charged in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur to be used in his upcoming trial
Man shot at east Las Vegas Walmart was subject of domestic violence complaint
The man who was shot inside an east Las Vegas Walmart store last week faces domestic violence-related charges, Channel 13 has learned.
Gang rivalry led to Hollywood Regional Park shooting, arrest report says
Over the past week, 19-year-old Jayden Torres and 16-year-old Kassandra Orozco were arrested on charges of open murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with this case.
Las Vegas police share video of officer's fatal encounter with armed man outside Walmart store
Video shared by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Friday offers new insight into the circumstances that led an officer to fatally shoot a man outside a local Walmart store.
