DOVER, Del. - A sixth man has been arrested for allegedly being involved with dogfighting in Seaford on Jan. 8.
Laurel resident Ronnell Jacobs, 45, was charged with three felony counts that include being present at an animal fight and owning, possessing, keeping, or using an animal for the purpose of fighting. He also faces two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.
According to the Delaware Division of Public Health's Office of Animal Welfare, information concerning the location and identity of Jacobs was obtained during the initial investigation. He was found to be under the supervision of the Probation and Parole Office at the Department of Corrections. The division said that he was wearing an ankle monitor and a review of his location showed him at the Lonesome Road property at the date and time of the Jan. 8 dogfighting.
Jacobs is currently being held without bail for a violation of probation related to his Jan. 12 arrest. The office says he is ordered to have no contact, possession, or ownership of any animals pending the outcome of the case.
The five men who were previously arrested on Jan. 8 have posted bail.
The past arrests came when Delaware State Police and the Office of Animal Welfare responded to a report of suspicious activity in the 2600 Block of Lonesome Road on Jan. 8 and found multiple people at the property engaged in dogfighting. Five people were initially taken into custody at the scene while others ran away.
Originally 14 dogs were found, with one having died from injuries sustained in the alleged dogfighting. After the arrest of Jacobs on Jan. 12, four more dogs were seized by the Office of Animal Welfare, two of which were found chained in the woods behind Jacobs' residence with injuries consistent with dogfighting. Upon seizure, two dogs required emergency care, and one was determined unable to recover from its injuries and was euthanized.
Mike Bricker, Director of Operations with the BVSPCA said he has seen many dogfight rescues before and fears more dogs will be found as this case proceeds. "Unfortunately I have multiple times in my career and yeah it is possible that we're going to find more dogs as the case kind of progresses but yeah we're here for them."
To date, 18 dogs have been rescued. Three have died and two have been adopted according to the Office of Animal Welfare. The others remain in recovery or awaiting medical and behavior evaluation before being released for adoption. The dogs are being cared for by Brandywine Valley SPCA medical staff.Â
"We know what they've been through, we saw what they've been through so we are taking our time just to make sure they're okay and we're doing everything we can for them." said Bricker.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding this case should contact the Office of Animal Welfare at 302-255-4646.Â