DeKalb man convicted in dog fighting ring

By Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Two men will spend time behind bars following their convictions on multiple animal cruelty charges in connection with a dog fighting ring in Washington County.

Derrick Montez Daniels of DeKalb County and Billy Taylor Jr. of Washington County were each convicted on 26 misdemeanor counts Wednesday, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which assisted in the investigation of the case.

Tim Rickey, who runs field investigations for the animal advocacy group, praised the Washington County Sheriff's Office in general, and Deputy Lynn Schlup in particular, for "diligence" in the investigation. Rickey said the 3-day trial was the largest he'd ever been involved in.

"This was a very serious crime," Rickey told the AJC. "Those animals were badly abused."

The charges stemmed from a February 17 raid by the sheriff's office in which 26 dogs were seized near Sandersville.

At the time of the raid, the sheriff in Washington County described the scene for the AJC. He said the emaciated and scarred dogs were chained to tires, axles and posts on a sprawling, 25-acre hunting property on Ohoopee Church Road.

Investigators also found 27 dog carcasses.

"We think they were used for other dogs to practice with," Sheriff Thomas Smith told the AJC at the time. "It was awful."

Thomas said the dogs were tied down by thick "logging chains," so they would gain strength by dragging their anchors around. They were living out in the open, amongst the trees, and endured a snow storm the week before the raid.

Rickey said in February that the dogs had "battle scars" and were starved for human attention. They suffered from untreated injures, respiratory problems and open wounds, and were shivering when they were rescued.

The sheriff's office began investigating the cruelty case about four months before the raid, and called the ASPCA for help several weeks before the raid.

The organization took the survivors to an undisclosed shelter where they were treated by veterinarians. They were then dispersed to animal rescuers who sought safe homes for them.

Rickey would not divulge exactly where the animals ended up because, he said, they can be worth thousands of dollars to dog fighters. "We know from past experience that some of these dog fighters will go to great lengths to try to get some of these animals back," he said. Some have resorted to burglary and to force.

Taylor had a prior felony conviction for forgery in DeKalb County in 1998, according to Sheriff Thomas. Taylor was renting the property where the dogs were found. He was the animals' caretaker and was sentenced to one year in county jail and nine years of probation, according to the ASPCA.

Daniels, who owned the dogs, was sentenced to five years in state prison and five years of probation, the ASPCA said.

This wasn't the only such case in Washington County. A week after Taylor's arrest, the sheriff announced arrests in another dog fighting ring. Roger Williams, 27, and Jimmie Johnson, 29, both of Sandersville, were charged in that case.

Rickey said they'll be going to trial soon. He said the brazen nature of that second ring -- operating in plain daylight just days after the raid that ensnared Taylor -- led him to create a "blood sport" division within the ASPCA to focus on dog fighting.