Seventy-eight dogs were rescued from an alleged dog fighting operation in Jefferson County.
The Department of Justice announced Carlton Lenard Adams, 51, was indicted for illegally possessing dogs for fighting purposes and illegally possessing firearms.
Adams, a convicted felon, was in possession of the guns and 78 fighting dogs at three separate locations – two in Bessemer and one in Adger.
Adams has been arrested and faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of two firearms charges. For the dog fighting charges, he faces a maximum penalty of five years and a $250,000 fine for each of the 15 charges.
Prosecutors said some of the tools confiscated from the properties included treadmills used to condition dogs for fighting. There were also injectable steroids, skin staplers, and a homemade breeding stand used to "immobilize female dogs who are too aggressive to mate naturally."
The dogs have been rescued and are being rehabilitated through a program by the U.S. Marshals Service. If rehabilitation is successful, they will be put up for adoption.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General, FBI and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency are investigating the case.
Adams is considered innocent until proven guilty.
Dog Fighting Indictment by Erica Thomas on Scribd
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