MICHIGAN
A federal judge on Monday sentenced a Western Michigan man to 30 months in prison for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy, officials announced.
Charles Deon Davis Jr., 34, of Wyoming, Michigan, plead guilty in June 2018 to one felony count of conspiracy to sponsor and exhibit a dog in a dogfight and unlawful possession of dogs intended to be used for the purpose of dog fighting, and one felony count of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, according to officials.
Davis and four co-defendants were indicted in a superseding indictment on April 18, 2018, for one conspiracy count and multiple counts of unlawful possession of animals intended to be used for the purpose of dog fighting.
Davis was also indicted in a separate case for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon.
Co-defendant Damiane Buehrer was sentenced to 46 months imprisonment in October 2018. The remaining co-defendants, including Charles Joseph Miller, Kian Maliak Miller, and Jarvis Jason-Roy Askew, have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Between at least December 2016 and December 7, 2017, Davis co-owned and operated, with defendant Charles Miller, “Stick Wit Me Kennels,” for the purposes of breeding, training, conditioning, and developing dogs for participation in dogfighting, officials said.
Davis kept four dogs for those purposes, which, together with those owned by his co-conspirators, for a total of 37 dogs, were seized by law enforcement as part of the investigation.
Davis was also found to possess medication for the purpose of treating dogs for wounds received during dog fighting, as well as equipment for training the dogs, including a “break stick,” and “spring poles.”
The co-defendants frequently exchanged electronic communications for the purpose of sharing information about training and conditioning dogs for fighting, breeding fighting dogs, contracting for and sponsoring dog fights, collecting forfeited funds when a contracted dogfight resulted in a forfeit, and sharing results of dogfights.