Police: Cheering Men Lead To 'Professional' Cockfighting Operation

Massive Grave Of Dead Birds, $25,000 In Cash Found
POSTED: 6:23 am EDT July 24, 2007
Polk County, Fla. -- A large group of cheering men in a rural part of Polk County led to the arrests of 17 men on suspicion they were taking part in a cockfighting operation described as "very professional" by the county sheriff.
PHOTOS: Images From Scene
Officers raided a rural area of Polk County Monday and found a massive grave of freshly killed roosters, drawers full of sharp fighting spurs for birds and $25,000 in cash. A bloody fighting box where the roosters apparently fought to the death was also found at the scene, police said.
"It was really, a very professional operation," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. "They had a box, a fighting box, and they had benches set up on each side of the box and the benches were numbered. You sat on the bench in order to place your bets."
Deputies said a helicopter pilot in the area made the initial discovery after hearing men cheering in the woods.
When officers arrived, the group of men scattered.
Two of the 17 men captured and arrested were from Orlando; Oscar Herrara, 36, and Jose Herrara, 40, according to police. One of the men had a hat on that said "cockfighting."
Near the grave of rooster corpses, officers found seven badly scarred birds still alive. They were euthanized, the report said.
Police are trying to determine who large the cockfighting ring was in Polk County.
They said more arrests may be coming soon.
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