Two plead guilty in case involving federal crackdown on cockfighting in Kentucky
Two men charged in connection with a cockfighting operation in Laurel County have pleaded guilty to federal charges.
The convictions are the first in four federal indictments charging a total of 20 people with being involved in cockfighting in several Kentucky counties.
Rickie D. Johnson, 55, pleaded guilty May 3 to conspiring to operate the Bald Rock Chicken Pit in Laurel County, a charge punishable by up to five years in prison.
The venue had stadium seating, storage areas, a central fighting pit and additional side pits, concessions and a station to sharpen metal gaffs attached to birds’ legs during the bloody fights, according to court records.
Johnson was charged with conspiring to operate the pit with his daughter, Jacklyn R. Johnson, 30, a former court bailiff for the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office; Harold “Fuzzy” Hale; and Oakley “Whitey” Hatfield.
Hale allegedly owned the cockfighting property and leased it to Rickie Johnson. Hatfield helped negotiate the lease, the indictment charged.
When Kentucky State Police officers went to the venue in July 2021 to investigate a report of alleged animal cruelty, there were at least 80 people in attendance and 47 roosters entered in fights, according to court records.
The operation raised about $7,000 at that event, the indictment charged.
Hiram B. Creech Jr., 47, initially was charged with possessing a roster for the purposes of taking part in a cockfight. He had a bird outfitted with metal spurs ready to fight when police arrived in July 2021, according to a citation.
Creech pleaded guilty Tuesday to a lesser charge of causing someone under the age of 16 — his son — to attend the cockfight. The charge has a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
Jacklyn Johnson, Hale, Hatfield and four men charged with having roosters for the purpose of engaging in a cockfight have pleaded not guilty.
Federal indictments returned in February charged more than 15 people with being involved in cockfighting at arenas in Laurel, Clay and Pike counties and a venue on the border of Nicholas and Fleming counties.
Later indictments added charges against more people.
In one case, a Maysville man, Cruz Alejandro Mercado-Vazquez, allegedly offered more than $5,000 in bribes to Mason County Sheriff Patrick Boggs to get protection for a planned cockfighting operation.
Cockfighting has been common in Kentucky for years. Animal-welfare groups have said that the state is a hub for the trade, supplying birds internationally.
Marty Irby, executive director of Animal Wellness Action, which has pressed federal and state authorities to crack down on cockfighting, issued a statement Wednesday applauding the guilty pleas by Rickie D. Johnson and Creech.
Irby, whose group issued a report in August 2020 on Kentucky’s cockfighting trade, called the activity a “gruesome blood sport” that also poses a threat of spreading avian flu.
“Cockfighting runs rampant in Kentucky as we’ve seen in case after case over the past few years,” Irby said. “It’s time to stamp out this form of staged cruelty.”
This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 10:25 AM.
