http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/117245
Informant says Vick was at dog fights
By Dave Forster and Bill Burke
The (Norfolk) Virginian - Pilot
Authorities investigating possible dog fighting on property owned by NFL quarterback Michael Vick say they have a confidential informant who has seen the Newport News native at dog fights.
The informant "will place him at these dog fights, yes," said Kathy Strouse, a member of the Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force who has helped in the investigation of Surry County property owned by Vick.
Mark Kumpf, a dog-fighting expert who has worked in animal control in both Norfolk and Newport News, said the informant Strouse named to him has helped in several prior criminal investigations and always provided "100 percent reliable" information. Kumpf is acting as a consultant to help investigators.
No charges have been filed in the case.
Surry County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald Poindexter told The Associated Press on Wednesday that as many as six to 10 people could be involved.
"I'm convinced from what I saw that dog fighting has occurred down there, but who was involved in it I don't know at this point," Poindexter said, noting that he saw what looked like blood spatters in a room over a garage.
"We're going to find out."
Vick, who plays for the Atlanta Falcons and was a star at Virginia Tech, has denied any knowledge of dog fighting at the property and said he is never there. His attorney, Lawrence Woodward, has declined to comment on the case and did not return phone calls Wednesday.
Authorities found 66 dogs -- more than 50 of them pit bulls -- and several items associated with dog fighting when they searched Vick's Surry County property, about 20 miles from Smithfield, in late April.
The police originally were searching the home for drugs and drug paraphernalia after the arrest of Davon Boddie, a cousin of Vick who lived at the house. Boddie had given the address when police arrested him in Hampton on suspicion of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.
State police and sheriff's investigators on the dog-fighting case are scheduled to meet Monday with Poindexter, said State Police 1st Sgt. Jake McCoury.
Vick sold the 15-acre property in Surry last week. A real estate agent asked to help with the sale said Vick was seeking $350,000 for the home, which was valued at $747,000 in county records. The buyer hasn't been recorded in county records yet.
Participating in dog fights or allowing them on one's property is a felony in Virginia punishable by up to five years in prison.
In January, for example, a Richmond jury recommended a four-year prison sentence for a man in a dog fighting case that involved 16 pit bulls.
The jury convicted Stacey Albert Miller, 40, of two counts of animal cruelty and one count of dog fighting. A judge will issue his sentence in June.
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Alexander Taylor, the prosecutor in the case, said he used all circumstantial evidence and no eyewitnesses to convict Miller.
Kumpf, who works in Ohio now, testified as an expert witness.
Taylor's circumstantial evidence hinged on a multitude of items found at the house that suggested dog fighting, such as heavily scarred dogs, medical supplies and treadmills for training.
Poindexter said investigators still are collecting evidence.
"It includes analyzing forensic evidence. It's not traditional. You can't go to the state sources that we usually have to do analysis of dog blood."
Federal authorities may get involved in dogfighting cases if illegal gambling is suspected and the operation is "of the magnitude that would warrant our resources," said Patrick Brown, a spokesman with the Internal Revenue Service.
Brown said he is not aware of any prosecutions by the IRS for illegal dog fighting in the commonwealth.
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