Police arrest two on dogfighting charges by Nick Werner The StarPress
MUNCIE - Investigators made an important break in their crackdown on Muncie's dogfighting problem Wednesday, confiscating five pit bulls from two homes and arresting two young men.
The dogfighting arrests are the first in Muncie in at least five years, deputy police chief Terry Winters said. Police have taken an aggressive position this spring against the underground contests.
Winters called Wednesday's busts the "tip of the iceberg" in an ongoing investigation.
"These aren't the only two guys involved," Winters told The Star Press. "We're hoping now some more people will start calling in and we'll get some more information."
Police arrested Joseph Keating, 18, 1609 W. Ninth St., and Tyson Carpenter, 20, 2309 W. Oliver St., on two counts each of animal fighting, a class D felony.
Keating had hosted fights Monday and Tuesday in a back bedroom at his home, witnesses told police.
Each night, Carpenter brought a pit bull to Keating's house in the trunk of his car to fight a dog belonging to Keating, police said.
Four or five people were in the house at the time of the fights, Winters said. One was apparently disturbed by the contests and tipped off police.
About 1 p.m. Wednesday, police searched Keating's home and found a young pit bull and a larger pit bull with scars and bite marks on her ears and shoulders.
The adult dog barked and snapped at animal control officers but was gentle and compliant about 30 minutes later as police photographed its wounds.
Keating expressed concern for his dogs, Winters said, asking if the nooses animal control officers used would hurt them.
The back bedroom at the Keating's home had hardwood floors that were covered in feces, police said.
Neighbors told The Star Press they believed Keating was a drug dealer because of the amount of traffic at his house late at night. They asked not to be identified out of fear of retribution.
Police said they found no indication that Keating ran a drug house.
Pit bulls are common in the neighborhood, often kept as pets and guard dogs, and Keating's did not seem out of place, one neighbor said.
Keating was on house arrest for burglary and was wearing a black ankle band when investigators led him to a police cruiser.
Three adult dogs were removed from the single-story Oliver Street home, where Tyson had been living with his girlfriend, Winters said. A detached garage was littered with feces, and the backyard was worn brown and barren by the dogs.
Carpenter is originally from Richmond and has been in Muncie for about a year, Winters said.
The dogs were taken to an Anderson veterinarian for examinations.
Contact news reporter Nick Werner at 213-5832.
Reporting dogfighting
Anyone with tips on dogfighting should contact investigators through the following phone numbers and e-mail address.
