A Columbus man will spend nearly six years in federal prison after neighbors noticed a group of dogs kept in terrible conditions and tipped off local authorities.
Joel Brown, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced to 71 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release. The sentencing comes after Brown pleaded guilty to charges related to dog fighting and distributing illegal drugs.
The investigation kicked off when community members contacted Columbus Humane about how Brown was keeping his animals. When law enforcement checked out the property, they found 12 pit bull-type dogs. Investigators noted that dog fighters often keep animals outside on heavy chains, placed just far enough apart so they can see each other but cannot touch. This setup forces the dogs to build heavy muscle while driving up their aggression. Many of the rescued dogs had visible scars. Along with the animals, police found treadmills, veterinary medicines, and other equipment used to train fighting dogs.
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While searching the property, officers also uncovered 53.48 grams of methamphetamine, a shotgun, ammunition, and tools used for packaging and selling drugs. Brown admitted to keeping 11 of the dogs specifically for fighting and possessing at least 50 grams of meth with the plan to sell it.
“Dog fighting is a crime, and it is often, as in this case, linked with other crimes,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Communities are harmed when this kind of activity occurs. We’re grateful to the community members who called attention to the derelict condition of the dogs in Brown’s possession, which led to today’s sentencing.”
This is not Brown’s first time facing major federal charges. Court documents show he previously served a 108-month prison sentence on drug and gun charges tied to a large case involving a well-known Columbus street gang called the Short North Posse.
“Brown’s actions were cruel and illegal, endangering both the dogs that he trained to fight and the people of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II for the Southern District of Ohio. “That he was a repeat drug dealer who possessed a firearm while engaging in such inhumane treatment of animals only further demonstrates that a significant sentence in federal prison is needed to protect the community from his criminal conduct.”
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