RUSK COUNTY, Texas — The Rusk County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 13 people after they received a 911 call that there was illegal cockfighting going on at an address on County Road 2132.
According to the sheriff’s office, when units arrived, they observed a large crowd of males at the creek bottom and roosters everywhere in cages.
Many of the males ran for the woods, according to the sheriff’s office.
Several of the men were captured and a total of 13 were arrested along with 23 citations for being on scene during cockfighting.
"It's a large problem. It's a problem that's gone pretty much unnoticed due to the fact that a lot of times, these organizations are out of very rural areas," said Sheriff Johnwayne Valdez.
A total of nine vehicles were seized along with cash and 87 roosters.
"It's a large problem. It's a problem that's gone pretty much unnoticed due to the fact that a lot of times, these organizations are out of very rural areas," said Valdez.
Valdez also said that one of two things will happen to the birds. They will either be euthanized due to their aggressive nature or they will be released to foster centers for reconditioning.