Arrest warrant issued for man suspected of illegal dogfighting

INDEPENDENCE COUNTY, Ark. (KAIT) -Authorities are searching for a man suspected of pitting pit bulls against each other.

A bench warrant has been issued for 29-year-old Andrew Allan Ford of Independence County for the unlawful animal fighting in the first degree.

According to court documents, officers of the Independence County Sheriff’s Office and Batesville Police Department executed a search warrant of his residence on West Dota Creek Road.

The probable cause affidavit stated during the search officers found the following items:

20 dogs, including two puppies, all pit bulls outside the main residence
16 chains attached to 16 different individual pit bulls
Three pieces of animal hide
One ledger book with written dog training documentation
One large rotating metal apparatus equipped with a dog chain on one end, with a second chain in front of the first that had one of the three animal hides attached at its end
Two treadmills, both equipped with dog chains, and one equipped with plywood on each side
Multiple rectangular pieces of plywood, fitted with bolts and smaller plywood pieces for attachment together, consistent with use for putting a dog fighting ring together

The affidavit also said investigators found two dog carcasses rotting just a few feet from the property’s fence line.

A neighbor told law enforcement that the dogs belonged to Ford and another person. They said the dogs had been used for fighting and that they had witnessed this on at least one occasion, the report said.

The dogs were taken to a local veterinarian and their injuries examined. The doctor confirmed the injuries were consistent with dog fighting. She also said the equipment officers found at Ford’s residence were used in the course of dog fighting or training dogs for fighting.

The court document stated that Ford has a criminal history including two prior felony convictions. He was convicted of receiving stolen property in the Superior Court of Mendocino County, California on April 6, 2010 and was convicted of possession of a firearm by certain persons in Stone County, Arkansas in Circuit Court on Feb. 7, 2017.

If you have information about this crime or Ford’s whereabouts, contact the Independence County Sheriff’s Office at 870-793-8838 or the Batesville Police Department at 870-569-8111.