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Investigator: Witnesses tie Vick to dog fights

FOXSports.com

The lead investigator in the dog-fighting investigation at a home that was owned by Michael Vick says there may be evidence that can directly tie him to fights at the property.

Kathy Strouse, Animal Control coordinator for the City of Chesapeake, says there may be a videotape showing Vick at dogfights and that she has talked with individuals who can "put Vick on the property" during matches in an interview with Yahoo.com.
Vick has said that he rarely visited the house and that relatives living there were responsible for any misdeeds. He put the house up for sale last week and it is currently under contract.

Strouse also said she is "very confident" authorities will link Vick directly to the dog fighting and called out the prosecutor for not being more aggressive. "He was at the home and saw the equipment that we seized. When we were there, he said he had enough right there to issue an indictment."

The Falcons say they can't comment on the specifics of the dog-fighting case until officials in Virginia reach a decision on whether to file charges. The prosecutor handling the case and the sheriff who oversaw the raid have not responded to repeated requests for interviews.

Vick's cousin, who lived at the home, was the target of a drug case that led authorities to search the property. Investigators reported finding dozens of dogs - some of them injured and malnourished - along with items associated with organized fighting, such as treadmills for training, jaw-prying sticks, veterinary drugs commonly used to treat wounds and blood-soaked carpeting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6816928?MSNHPHMA

Wrong forum.

I almost posted this yesterday.

Dogfighting is pretty wicked stuff. Never seen a dogfight---but I bet it really gets the adrenaline pumping. I think I'd feel kind of dirty after watching one. Like some straight violence junkie cashing in on pain and suffering. It would be absolutely vicious. Depraved. Satisfying in a really deviant way---kind of like boxing----if boxing resulted in death. I guess its a tremendously primitive bloodlust that leads people to participate in dogfighting---or cockfighting for that matter.

I can kind of see the gladiators of the present day getting into something like this. A gruesome spectacle of absolute domination of one competitor by another. I think professional athlete's could easily get into that kind of thing.

Arthur Blank to Bobby Petrino: "Hi. Welcome to Hell. Good luck."

Vick is going DOWN!

LOL

I never really liked the guy anyway.

Vick was/is one of the most exciting players to play QB....He could have been something special....Super fast, Rocket arm, but no Brain...

Matt Shaub!

Wait...

I bet they are rethinking that now. :P

Edit: Looks like... #13 Joey Harrington

I hope Vick is suspened for 8 games

I think Spurgeon Wynn is still out there somewhere.

MM... it will be interesting to see where this goes. If Vick is prosecuted... Goddell almost HAS to suspend him.

Yeah, they have Harrington and Chris Redman. Look out!!! LOL, watch Harrington get 'Comeback POY'.

Ha, Joey Harrington, or as they call him here in Michigan.

"The coach Killer"

Comeback POY? =

That really puts Bobby Petrino in a tough spot. He said in an interview that I read in an article, that he believes Vick had nothing to do with it, because thats what Vick said. He went on to say, Michael hasnt lied to me yet, so until he does I have no reason not to trust him.

Looks now like Petrino cant trust Vick, and that cant go well. That has to create a rift, unless Vick did tel him, and Petrino was only saying what he said to put out a good front. Either way, its a sticky situation for both of them. Vick worse of course.

If true it could be a little more serious than people think.

During the draft procedings they had that tribute to the VT Massacre - Vick was in attendance he was waylayed by Goodell's office and interviewed about this matter.

If Vick Lied to Goodell and assured he had no knowledge and now it comes out he was in attendance I believe he will get some maximun punishment as a precedent that its not nice to fool the King.

JMHO - just a rumor now but wonder how this will progress?

I hear Kelly Holcomb could be looking for a job.

It would blow your mind the people who attend these things. People who you would never think of .

And don't know if it was posted in the other thread but there is a kennel by the name of "Vicks k-9 Kennels"

And I'd like to see them ALL locked in a cage without any weapon with the Pit Bulls they've treated so cruely and made so vicious! And let those dogs be REAL hungry when they do it!

It would serve them right!

This is a very sore subject with me on a very personal basis.


If Vick was directly involved in this,NO punishment is severe enough IMO

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This is a very sore subject with me on a very personal basis.

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I quess so


I Love my dogs and could never handle my dog or any other dog for that matter i would feel directly responseable for the negative image they already precieve.

What i was saying with my earlier post is alot of Proffesional sports figures are deep in the underground world of animal fighting (dogs)as is alot of politicial maybe not owniÖg dogs but wagering. The events of matching dogs normal people will never know where or just how often it really happens .due to the secrety of it .

And about Vick who knows we might just hear about more athleates involved just cause PRES. BUSH just made a new law a couple weeks ago making animal fighting laws alot harsher..

Here's some more....



Videotapes sought of Vick watching dog fights

By Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports
May 15, 2007

The lead investigator in the case of dog-fighting accusations against Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick said Monday that she believes there is substantial evidence to eventually tie Vick directly to the felony crime.

That evidence could eventually include videotapes of Vick at matches. Kathy Strouse, the Animal Control coordinator for the City of Chesapeake in Virginia, said Monday that she has received a tip from what is described as a "reliable source" that tapes of Vick exist that would tie him directly to the burgeoning scandal and a possible felony charge.

"We don't know where (the tapes) are or if they do indeed exist, but I have been told that they are out there," said Strouse, who is also affiliated with two other organizations involved in the welfare of animals. "Without knowing where they are, there's no possibility of getting a search warrant at this point."

Strouse said she has also talked with individuals who can "put Vick on that property" during matches. However, those individuals have been reluctant to testify at this point, leaving much of the evidence against Vick that has become public at this point as circumstantial.

Last month, Vick's residence in Smithfield, Va., was raided and dog-fighting paraphernalia was confiscated. Vick initially denied any knowledge of the situation, blaming family and friends for the operation. However, Vick declined to comment on the advice of attorneys when approached at the Falcons' mini-camp over the weekend.


Regardless, Strouse said she is "very confident" about eventually tying Vick directly to the dog fighting based on the evidence she and other investigators have gathered. The information has come after years of talk throughout the Newport News area where Vick grew up that he has been involved in dog fighting.

For her part, Strouse was not backing down and essentially challenged Surry County Commonwealth attorney Gerald Poindexter to charge Vick. Last week, Poindexter made statements indicating he was reluctant to charge anyone with dog fighting.

"He was at the home and saw the equipment that we seized," Strouse said of Poindexter. "When we were there, he said he had enough right there to issue an indictment. He didn't say who he would indict, but he said he had enough.

"Now, with what he has said, it makes you think, 'What in the world is going on in Surry County?' This certainly doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy about the Surry County attorney," Strouse said.

Poindexter did not return a call from Yahoo! Sports on Monday.

Dog fighting is a felony in 48 states and is a misdemeanor in Idaho and Wyoming. In Virginia, a conviction can carry up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $2,500, Strouse said.

Before the NFL draft in late April, Vick met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss the situation. In addition, Falcons owner Arthur Blank has expressed growing concern with the investigation.

Earlier this offseason, the Falcons traded backup Matt Schaub to the Houston Texans and later signed veteran Joey Harrington to be Vick's primary backup. However, Harrington is not seen as a long-term solution.

On Friday, Vick politely told a group of approximately 30 reporters that he wasn't going to discuss the latest controversy and that the only thing on his mind was football.

"It is still under investigation, and once it is over, we will talk about it. As of right now, I cannot talk about the situation," Vick said. His lone departure from that was to say: "Don't plan on talking about me anymore unless it's about football."

While Vick's non-answer was predictable, it was also an interesting backtrack from only two weeks before. On April 27, the day before the draft, Vick was in New York to promote the NFL Quarterback Challenge. At the time, Vick was asked about the investigation in Virginia and disassociated himself from the house and the investigators' findings.

Vick's response was quickly refuted. According to several media outlets, neighbors said that Vick was seen in the area regularly and had even purchased materials such as syringes, which are often used in the training of dogs for fighting.

On Friday, NFL scout, one-time Yahoo! Sports analyst and current FOX Sports Radio host Chris Landry took it a step further during an interview on 620 WDAE in Tampa, Fla. Landry said that Ray Buchanan, a former Atlanta defensive back, told him that Vick has been involved in dog fighting for years.

"(Buchanan) tells me that Michael has been into this dog fighting for so long that … he not only knew about, he is behind all of it," Landry said. "He's paying for all of it … Apparently, he's into it big time."

Buchanan strongly denied saying any of that when contacted by Yahoo! Sports on Monday.

"I have to talk to Chris about all of that because I didn't say anything like that at all," Buchanan said. "If I was going to say any of that, I would have said it myself on my own radio program. I don't know anything about Michael being involved in any of that and I would not snitch on a player if I did. I'm a player's mouthpiece."

These developments led to conjecture about whether Vick will get in trouble with federal authorities and/or the NFL. Blank told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week that he is obviously concerned.

"From the facts we have so far, it's not a pretty picture. It's clearly an issue, and we'll wait to see what revolves

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Dog fighting is a felony in 48 states and is a misdemeanor in Idaho and Wyoming. In Virginia, a conviction can carry up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $2,500, Strouse said.

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Not anymore President Bush Passed a law making it a Felony in ALL states . Owning a Video, or any equiptment for use in Animal fighting is also a felony. Vick could end up being in alot of hot water from this. A felony count for each dog that was used for fighting any equiptment . So he could end up with felonys in the double digits . And will more then likly have to do jailtime if convicted.

Just to add to the extraneous factoids being put out about dog fighting,

In arizona last year, there were 3000 registered cases of missing dogs. Granted some percentage of these are run-aways, but many are later found in the desert mauled by another dog. People who own these fighting dogs will take other dogs to be fodder for their dogs. It helps build a fighting instinct while keeping them trained. Anyone betting or participating in these types of actions needs psychiatric help. If you need an adrenaline rush, go jump out of plane at 14000 feet and free fall for a minute.

Pitdawg and Pitdog in the dogfight thread.

Vick is innocent. That was actually Ron Mexico at those fights.