© WBALTV Developing Story Harford County
A Harford County man has been convicted of multiple counts of animal cruelty and possessing birds for cockfighting and sentenced to six years in prison.
According to the State’s Attorney’s Office, on May 24, Jose Lopez-Vilalba, 42, of Street Maryland pled guilty to 20 counts of animal cruelty and 20 counts of possessing a bird for cockfighting. After his jail sentence, Lopez-Vilalba is subject to three years of probation and an additional 114-year sentence if he violates that probation.
Lopez-Vilalba was under investigation since May 2021, after Harford County Animal Control received a complaint about a cockfighting ring at 4366 Madonna Road in Street, Maryland.
The monthslong investigation found evidence such as over 100 chickens, most of them roosters, who had been “dubbed,” which means their comb, wattles, and earlobes were removed, to prevent injury while fighting. Officers also found a cockfighting ring and a “sparring puppet” used to train the roosters to fight each other.
The six-year sentence is the longest sentence for animal cruelty and cockfighting since a five-year sentence was handed out to a Virginia man in 2021.
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