NPD arrest two suspected in cockfighting ring

The Norman Police Department arrested two individuals associated with a cockfighting bust from January.

According to an arrest affidavit, the police arrested Arturo Garcia-Gonzalez, 28, and Lauriza Ibarra Vera, 26, of 12251 Cedar Lane. They were charged with keeping equipment for cockfighting; instigating and encouraging cockfighting; owning, possessing or training birds for cockfighting; and possession of a firearm after a conviction.

According to the affidavit, animal welfare officers were called to the location after it was reported that dogs were being kept in a barn that had caught on fire. After arriving on the scene, the officers asked Garcia-Gonzalez if they could search other buildings.

The officers discovered a square pit that they recognized as one used for cockfighting.

The report stated: “Next to the pit was equipment used to record cockfighting, scoped rifles, and gamecocks with their combs — the red fleshy tissue on a chicken’s skull — cut off. At that point, the search was stopped and a search warrant was obtained.”

The Transcript previously reported from a press release which described the site as “deplorable conditions alongside evidence of brutal training and exploitation of the animals for fighting purposes.”

During the execution of the warrant, officers picked up 77 roosters, as well as two sets of knives used to attach to the legs of roosters, medication for treating roosters after fights, various guns, scales for weighing roosters and a rooster dummy used for sparring. Officers also took Garcia-Gonzalez’s phone, which contained video evidence of cockfighting in the ring, according to police.

Kevin Chambers, Oklahoma State director for Animal Wellness Action, said he was surprised that the officers found a cockfighting pit.

“A lot of people who raise fighting roosters don’t actually have a pit on their property,” he said.

Chambers said he seeks out cockfighting arenas around the state and has helped bust a number of operations.

“Every weekend we get tips about what fights are going on, and we call the sheriffs. Even when we have the exact location, the sheriffs often find all kinds of excuses not to do anything about it,” he said. “I was impressed by the Norman Police. Some other places don’t seem to care.”

Sarah Schettler, NPD spokesperson, said the accused have been cooperative and that charges have been presented to the District Attorney’s Office.