The FIGHT Act will give law enforcement more tools to squeeze dogfighters and cockfighters and end their cruelty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Animal welfare group urges voters in House District 94 to vote for \u2018anyone but long-time dogfighting enthusiast Stoney Greene in the March 6th primary.<\/i><\/p>\n \u2014 Wayne Pacelle, President of Animal Wellness Action<\/p>\n<\/div>\n WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, March 6, 2024 \/EINPresswire.com<\/a>\/ — Animal Wellness Action today urged Republican primary voters in North Carolina House District 94 to reject Wilkes County Commissioner Stoney Greene in his quest for that seat because of compelling evidence pointing to his involvement in the criminal enterprise of dogfighting.<\/p>\n In a multi-candidate race, Mr. Greene, who is chairman of the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners, is considered one of the frontrunners for the solid-red state House district. North Carolina is one of several states with primaries on March 6th.<\/p>\n Mr. Greene, according to informants and to key primary source documents, operated kennels featured in known dogfighting websites where he allegedly sold and bred pit-bull type dogs (e.g. Killer Klown Kennels and Stone Hard Kennel); noted his connection to two most infamous dogfighters\u2014Ed Farron<\/a> (from Wilkes County) and Tom Garner<\/a>\u2014and described them as \u201cvery influential in my knowledge\u201d of pit-bull-type dogs. <\/p>\n Transporting dogs across state lines for fighting was a federal crime at the time of his arrest, and in New Jersey, dogfighting was considered a felony offense and outlawed in every other state in the nation.<\/p>\n Some of the details described above have been posted on GoWilkes.com. Animal Wellness Action has reviewed this information and confirmed concerns about Stoney Greene and his past involvement with dogfighting, deeming them \u2018highly plausible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBased on my involvement in working to dismantle animal fighting operations over 30 years, I believe there is sound support for the claim circulating in Wilkes County that Stoney Greene was meaningfully involved for at least some period of years in the barbaric practice of dogfighting,\u201d said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, a national organization that promotes legal standards against cruelty and specializes in combating animal fighting. \u201cI do not know if he\u2019s continued to engage in trafficking of fighting animals or is now entering dogs into staged combat. Involvement in dogfighting, or support for dogfighting\u2014perhaps one of the most reprehensible of forms of animal cruelty\u2014is disqualifying for public office.\u201d <\/p>\n The highest-profile enthusiast for dogfighting was former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who publicly renounced the activity and advocated for stronger policies against the practice. Dogfighting is now a felony in every state, including North Carolina, and it is a federal felony. Animal Wellness has not come across statements from Mr. Greene, during his career in public service, where he\u2019s spoken out against the cruelty of dogfighting.<\/p>\n Animal Wellness Action has previously discovered that cockfighters maintain an extensive network of cockfighting operations in North Carolina. Jeff Hudspeth, of Cedar Creek Game Fowl Farm and a known cockfighter from Wilkes County, is a major donor to Stoney Greene\u2019s campaign for U.S. House.<\/a><\/p>\n Congress is now considering the FIGHT Act, H.R. 2742 and S. 1529, to crack down on dogfighting and cockfighting in a more determined way. With more bipartisan support than any other animal welfare bill in this Congress, the FIGHT Act has nearly 500 endorsing agencies and organizations, including 200 law enforcement agencies. It would strengthen existing federal law against dogfighting and cockfighting by allowing a private right of action against dogfighters and cockfighting, banning on-line gambling on animal fights, allowing for criminal forfeiture of equipment and properties used in the commission of these crimes, and enhancing prohibitions on shipping fighting roosters through the U.S. mail. <\/p>\n ABOUT WAYNE PACELLE
\nAnimal Wellness Action is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) whose mission is to help animals by promoting laws and regulations at federal, state and local levels that forbid cruelty to all animals. The group also works to enforce existing anti-cruelty and wildlife protection laws. Animal Wellness Action believes helping animals helps us all. X: @AWAction_News<\/p>\n
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