28 arrests after cockfighting bust in northern Nevada where 59 dead roosters were found this month


SILVER SPRINGS (AP) — More than two dozen suspects have been arrested in rural northern Nevada in connection with an illegal cockfighting ring where sheriff's deputies found 59 dead roosters in a barn in Silver Springs earlier this month, the Lyon County sheriff's office said.

The sheriff said Friday 28 people are facing felony charges. 

But no names or other details were released regarding the arrests.

A deputy acting on an anonymous tip relayed by Lyon County Animal Services observed roosters fighting in "an open-air barn" and "hand-to-hand wagering" on June 3 on the property in Silver Springs about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of Carson City, the sheriff's office said in an earlier statement.

Authorities found an additional 96 live chickens, two of which were severely hurt and had injuries consistent with bird-fighting, the sheriff's office said. They also found numerous implements commonly used when fighting animals.

Three hens were rescued and transferred to new homes. 

But Nevada Department of Agriculture officials had to assist in euthanizing numerous other fighting roosters, the sheriff's office said.

An investigation is continuing. Anyone with information about the incident should call the Lyon County Sheriff's Office at 775-577-5206.