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Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) Lt. Mike Brooks confirmed on Monday, Feb. 24, that four people were arrested on Thursday, Feb. 13, near the 15700 block of 153rd Avenue SE in rural Yelm, near the corner store and gas station known as Mackey’s or Dylan’s Corner, after a tip led TCSO and other agencies to discovering 556 roosters believed to be used in an illegal cockfighting operation.
Brooks said hens at the property weren’t counted as they were freely roaming; however, the roosters were tied up and confined at the property upon arrival by TCSO.
According to Brooks, Joint Animal Services, Regional Animal Services of King County, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Hooved Animal Rescue of Thurston County, Save A Forgotten Equine (SAFE), the Center Valley Animal Rescue and the Edmonds Police Department Animal Control contributed to the operation.
“The resources that we got through Joint Animal Services is who we really relied on to help us with this. Joint Animal Services contacted all kinds of animal services groups in Western Washington, and volunteer organizations provided the manpower to deal with the animals the day we executed the warrant,” Brooks said. “Without those people and those entities allowing us to utilize their employees for this, we would’ve been overwhelmed and frankly not sure what to do or how to do it. Our appreciation to Joint Animal Services for really leading the animal side of this, and using their resources and contacts to help us out.”
In addition to the 556 cockfighting roosters, Brooks said there were several puppies running around the property when the warrant was executed. The property owners voluntarily surrendered the young dogs.
“They looked a little thin to me, but nothing super noteworthy. I think it was more they weren’t interested in having these puppies. They were accident dogs,” Brooks said. “Animal services took these puppies, which are probably all adopted already. They were super looking, yellow labs almost. They were adorable dogs, and it was quite humorous given the circumstances.”
According to Brooks, 12 to 15 livestock animals were seized in addition to the puppies. Several deceased animals were also found on the property.
“I believe we seized 65 of the roosters. We didn’t take all of them at that moment because we have no facility to store them all. Prior to this, we reached out to other agencies and other groups and volunteer networks to see what we could do. Nobody had the ability at that time,” Brooks said. “From my understanding, the property owners voluntarily gave the remainder of the roosters over last week. (Animal services) went back out, with the help of the family turning them over, and picked up the rest of them to my knowledge.”
Brooks’ message to the community about animal cruelty was a simple one following the discovery of over 500 cockfighting roosters and the arrest of four in Yelm: if you see something, say something. He said the arrests and discovery of the cockfighting ring came after a tip from one of TCSO’s partnered agencies.
“If you’re not sure or you have a question — ask. Share the information. Call and talk to a deputy. Take a picture if you have the ability, and share it with law enforcement. This came from a tip from one of our volunteer organizations because of a thin horse. In the background of the picture, we could see all of the roosters chained to barrels. It’s not like we’ve spent six months looking at the cockfighting ring. This was literally, ‘hey, here’s a thin horse,” and in the back of the picture you could see the roosters,” Brooks said. “When in doubt, ask. Share the information. We really rely on the public’s assistance in spotting or questioning things. We don’t have resources out driving county roads to look for this every day.”
Brooks also said the family at the property of the roosters was cooperative throughout the investigation and warrant execution. He said he isn’t sure if cockfighting is becoming more popular, or just more seen.
“There’s more people moving to rural counties. More people out and about. More opportunities for these environments to be seen by people, and then they share their concerns. As costs rise, we all seek to live somewhere we can afford and so we move out to the county,” Brooks said. “As our unincorporated counties continue to grow, there’s a chance that you or I could drive by one of these and say, ‘what is that?’ It increases the likelihood of it being seen.”
