150 dogs seized in breeding, fighting ring; 6 people arrested

A man considered by investigators to be one of the top breeders of fighting pit bulls in the United States was arrested at his Avra Valley home Tuesday and 110 of his dogs seized, officials said.

They were among 150 pit bulls confiscated at four sites during an early morning raid by the Pima Animal Care Center, Pima County Sheriff's Department, the Humane Society of Southern Arizona and Humane Society of the United States.

Six people were arrested. Dogfighting supplies, weapons and money also were seized.

The raid was part of a yearlong investigation into illegal dogfighting, spokeswoman Deputy Dawn Hanke said.

Mahlon T. Patrick, 63, considered by investigators to be the head of the operation, was arrested at a home in the 12000 block of West Orange Grove Road. Also arrested at that site was Emily Dennis, also 63.

Robert Smith, 55, and Terry Williams, 52, were arrested at a home in the 8000 block of East Helen Street.

Juan Verdin, 39, and his wife Zenaida Verdin, 35, were arrested in the 6000 block of West Indian Kitchen Road.

All were arrested on charges of dogfighting, according to the Pima County Jail. The Verdins also were charged with animal cruelty.

"We have dismantled a group of people at the upper echelon of dogfighting," said John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues for the Humane Society of the United States. "This will be felt by people in the blood sport nationwide."

Smith owned two of the properties that were raided: The Helen Street parcel and a site in the 9000 block of West Placita Chivato.

At the Placita Chivato address, investigators found 22 dogs, eight of which have been verified as fighting dogs, plus dogfighting research materials. At the Helen Road address, they found four firearms and a treadmill used to train dogs for endurance.

Goodwin said Smith is in charge of the All American Dog Registry, which tracks the pedigrees of pit bulls.

Tucson Citizen archives indicate Dennis had been investigated in 1980 and 1983 in association with dogfighting.

Dogs seized in 1980 were returned to her, Citizen archives indicate. The outcome of the 1983 case was not immediately available.

The more recent investigation began in March 2007, based on information provided by the Humane Society of the United States, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said. More leads were established when an officer pulled over a car in Chicago, Dupnik said. The car contained dogs believed to have been bred in Tucson.

Detectives Tuesday seized a "rape stand" used in breeding and 50 firearms that may have been traded for dogs, said Sgt. Terry Parish, who heads the Southern Arizona Animal Cruelty Task Force.

Marsh Myers, director of community outreach for the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, said "99 percent" of the seized dogs are pit bulls.

Each animal must be analyzed for scars, tattoos and missing teeth.

Myers said he didn't know what will be done with the dogs once they have been processed.

"Even among the puppies there could be generations of fighting dogs," he said. "There's no way you can train that out of a puppy."

Investigators don't believe the dogs were participating in fights in Tucson, but were being bred here and then sold to dogfighters across the country.