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.
-
Arrest report: Man shot bystander while trying to confront suspected car burglar
Francisco Chairez-Hernandez, 21, is accused of firing the shot that killed Karla Abarca, who police refer to as an "innocent bystander" sitting in a truck at the intersection of Bonanza and Lamb.
Testimony begins in trial of man accused of orchestrating Tupac Shakur killing
Witness testimony began Monday, Aug. 17, in the trial of Duane "Keefe D" Davis, the man accused of orchestrating the killing of rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996.
A dispute about fact vs. fiction at the trial over Tupac's killing in Las Vegas
A prosecutor said Monday that while few have been willing to speak about the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur, Duane “Keffe D” Davis is the “one person who has a hard time being silent.”
Suspect in custody after police vehicle hit during chase in North Las Vegas
It began around 1:14 a.m. in the area of Tonopah Drive and Lake Mead Boulevard, just west of the intersection with Martin Luther King Boulevard, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
