AVON, Ind (WISH) – Authorities busted a suspected cockfighting operation.
Officers removed more than 700 birds from two properties, one in Waveland in Montgomery County and the other in Avon in Hendricks County. Authorities say the Avon homeowner had been in contact with the Waveland operation but could not say if the two are connected.
In a row outside a white van, boxes each contained a bird, likely a rooster. More than 600 were taken from Waveland and about 150 from Avon.
Authorities with the Indiana Gaming Commission did not know if cockfighting was taking place but said it was likely.
“Raising an animal for fighting is illegal in Indiana. We don’t have to have the contest to make our case,” said Rob Townsend, superintendent of law enforcement for the Indiana Gaming Commission.
But, according to Katherine Destreza of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, they have evidence.
“Gaffs, knives, implements that they attach to the legs for fighting, different medications and supplements meant to enhance the bird’s performance,” Destreza said.
The sharp objects are meant to maximize injuries including punctured lungs and broken bones, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. ASPCA will give the birds temporary shelter and they will also receive a full medical exam. However, according to Destreza, most will be euthanized due to disease.
“Typically, we’ll see that these birds have parasites like mites, might be sick, may have disease. We have to test for diseases,” she said.
Authorities are asking neighbors who suspect something to speak up before it gets to this point.
“If there is more than one rooster around, if there is 20, 30, 40, 50 roosters around, that’s probably a clue that we are interested in,” Townsend said.
There are no suspects and no arrests at this time; however, authorities have identified two people of interest. Authorities on Wednesday were not releasing their names.
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A husband and wife each face more than a dozen charges amid allegations they have had sex with their three children since 2012 at various homes in west-central Indiana.
Court records show an investigation of Keylin Lee Johnson, 52, and Sheila Lynn Johnson, 44, began when the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office received a report Feb. 25. A woman told an officer that the couple’s two oldest children had come to visit and talked with her about “possible sexual abuse.”
Police spoke that same day with the oldest child, who said Keylin Johnson, the father, had advised the oldest child that “incest was a normal way of life” and “the best way to build a family bond was to have sex with your parents, particularly your mother,” court documents said.
“He (the father) also advised it was safer to have sex with people in your own family, rather than strangers,” the documents said.
The oldest child “also indicated that his mother was involved in sexual relations with the family dog.”
The youngest child was removed from the family’s home in Montgomery County the next day. Investigators also took cellphones and computer gear from the home that day.
The youngest child told authorities that “both of her parents would do gross things in the home,” court documents said. “She was shown sexual videos and pornography and that her aunt used to bring adult things to a residence in Mooresville and she observed the adults would do sexual things.”
During interviews with police, Sheila Johnson, the mother, admitted to multiple acts of child abuse and incest with two of her children and an attempt at bestiality with a dog, the court documents showed. She said her husband “would always want to role play and suggested mother-son sex scenarios.”
Keylin Johnson told police that “I am guilty of internet porn and other stuff” and described himself as being addicted to pornography, according to the court documents. He admitted to police he had downloaded and saved photos of one of his children nude from the child’s cellphone.
The family has lived in homes in Crawfordsville, Ladoga, New Market and Waveland since 2012.
Keylin Johnson faces 18 charges including multiple counts of child molesting and incest and a count of possession of child pornography.
Sheila Johnson faces 17 charges including multiple counts of child molesting and incest and a count of bestiality.
The couple remained in the Montgomery County Jail on Friday. A jury trial is set for Sheila Johnson on July 31 and for Keylin Johnson on Aug. 14.