Tennessee Criminal Lawyer Blog

Animal fighting has made somewhat of a resurgence in the national headlines lately with the exploits of individuals such as Michael Vick, former quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons who now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, who served prison time due to his connection with a dog-fighting ring. More recently, officials in California arrested three men and seized 600 birds used for cockfighting at a farm in an area in which they had made arrests and seized over 1200 birds just the year before. The article cited below details several other arrests which have been made in the area for cockfighting, which is a sport and betting activity that still thrives in the underground in very state.

As stated in the article, cockfighting is illegal in every state and thirty-nine states have made it a felony. Tennessee, however, is not one of those thirty-nine states. While Tennessee has made it a felony to participate in fighting any animal for sport, amusement, or gain under T.C.A. §39-14-203, Tennessee carved out a specific exception for cockfighting that makes such activity only a Class A misdemeanor. This means that it is punishable by a maximum of eleven months and twenty-nine days, while fighting any other animal in violation of the statute is punishable by up to six years in prison. The reason for this disparity is not clear. Maybe the Tennessee legislature thinks that cockfighting is not as dangerous to the public as other types of fighting or maybe cockfighting is so prevalent in Tennessee that state legislators feared alienating friends and voters by choosing a harsher punishment. Either way, the disparity exists.

Animal fighting is alive and well in Tennessee, and Tennesseans are frequently charged under the above-referenced statute for their involvement in such activity. The severity of the charges differs depending on the animal, but any charge under the statute carries the risk of incarceration. Tennesseans who find themselves charged with animal fighting should contact a skilled East Tennessee criminal defense attorney who has experience dealing with such charges and can assist them throughout the trial process.

Source: http://www.aolnews.com/crime/article/feathers-fly-as-calif-police-crack-down-on-cockfighting/19465758