Posted by DVK
on 2/15/2009, 12:31 pm
208.120.80.118
Dog Fighting 'Godfather' Ed Faron Pleads Guilty to Felony Dog Fighting
8-10 Months Prison Time
Wilkesboro, NC - Ed Faron pleaded guilty yesterday to 14 counts of felony dog fighting and was sentenced to 8 to 10 months in prison. Faron also must serve a lengthy period of supervised probation, and may not own, possess or care for any dogs, as part of the plea agreement. His adopted son, Donni Juan Casanova, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of felony dog fighting. He was sentenced to 6 to 8 month in prison (suspended), and was ordered to serve 24 months of supervised probation.
Wilkes County has possession of the 127 pit bulls that were seized in the raid on Faron's Wildside Kennels property on December 10. The county was awarded custody of the dogs by a judge last month after Faron failed to pay nearly $53,000 the county had asked for their care. A large number of puppies have since been born, and the dogs are being held at undisclosed locations. According to the clerk's office, the court file yesterday did not include notice about the disposition of the dogs.
John Goodwin, the manager of animal-fighting issues for The Humane Society of the United States, said a judge would decide the fate of the dogs later. The Humane Society worked for three years on the investigation, in cooperation with Wilkes County Animal Control and the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office. Goodwin said that Faron was one of the nation's largest breeders of fighting dogs. He believes his conviction will show dog fighters that "even their godfathers are being prosecuted and sent to prison."
Goodwin also said that the dogs have been bred for fighting and it would very difficult and expensive to re-train the dogs, even the puppies, so that they could be adopted into homes. This common sense runs in stark contrast with a sizable promotional effort by Best Friends that claims Faron's dogs can be "rehabilitated" into family household pets. Goodwin added that he believes a county ordina
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