Aiken County Man Found Guilty in Cockfighting Derby
An Aiken County man was found guilty today in U.S. District Court in Charleston of participating in a cockfighting venture last year.
The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office got a tip about the operation underway on some property owned by Michael Roy Limehouse in Ridgeville, South Carolina.
Once deputies arrived, they found a barrel containing birds that had been killed in the fights that had taken place so far that day. Officials say they also seized numerous bird transport boxes, metal gaffes and spurs and other items used by participants.
A total of seven people were participating in the cockfighting derby, including 68-year-old Roosevelt Curry of North Augusta. Curry, Limehouse and five others were taken into custody and later indicted in United States District Court.
Curry was found guilty today of the charges against him. United States District Judge Bruce H. Hendricks will sentence him after reviewing a pre-sentence report that will be prepared by the United States Probation Office. Curry faces up to five years in prison. Officials say he has a previous state court conviction for cockfighting in 2010.
The other six indicted in the case pled guilty prior to the start of Curry’s multi-day trial.
In testimony during the trial, it was revealed that participants in the cockfighting venture paid $400 to enter four birds into the derby. Some, including Curry, put multiple entries into the derby that day. Once birds were weighed, organizers used a software program to match the birds into fights. Participants then attached metal gaffes to their birds’ ankles prior to having them fight.
Is cockfighting legal in the United States?
Cockfighting is now illegal in all 50 states. As of 2021, it was a felony in 42 of them, including Georgia. It’s still a misdemeanor in South Carolina. Knowingly selling, buying or having an animal for the purposes of fighting is a felony under federal law and can result in up to five years in prison.
