The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA

Murray County

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March 18, 2010

Property owner charged following cockfight raid

Chickens checked for diseases

Mark Millican Dalton Daily Citizen

DALTON — The property owner of the barn in southern Murray County where police raided a suspected cockfight on Saturday was arrested on Wednesday after flying the coop during the raid, authorities said.

Ricky Lee Bagley, 52, of 1206 Loughridge Road in Chatsworth, was charged by the Murray County Sheriff’s Office with cruelty to animals and possession, sale or transfer of a gambling device.

“The gambling device charge stems from him being the one who owned the property,” said Chief Deputy Ray Sitton. “All the setup for the operation was his.”

Bagley bonded out of the county jail on a $2,000 bond later Wednesday, a jail spokeswoman said.

Officers said Bagley was at the barn when the raid occurred, but fled the scene and could not be arrested until four days later.

The sheriff’s office reported 67 people were arrested during the raid, most on cruelty to animals and gambling charges, with a handful charged with commercial gambling.

Sitton said the roosters involved in the fighting action were to be inspected by the state Department of Agriculture for the possibility of disease.

Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin released a statement on Thursday at the request of The Daily Citizen.

“We are testing the chickens for possible poultry diseases including Exotic Newcastle Disease and Avian Influenza,” he said. “If the birds test positive for disease, they will be humanely euthanized. If they do not test positive for disease, the decision over what to do with them will be in the hands of the Murray County Sheriff’s Department and Murray County Animal Control.”

Sitton said two people were arrested on Saturday for possessing drugs at the cockfight.

Amy Jill Kilgore, 23, of 78 Dove Drive in Chatsworth, was charged with possession of a schedule 4 drug and possession of methamphetamine. Ricky Lee Sisson, 28, of 351 Estelle Middleton Road in Chatsworth, was charged with possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. Both were released on Saturday, Kilgore on a $7,500 bond and Sisson on a $2,000 bond.

Around a dozen local, state and federal agencies took part in the raid or were involved in the 14-month investigation. A woman who answered the phone at the Bagley residence hung up when a reporter called, identified himself and asked to speak to Ricky Bagley.

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