Dogfighting 'Godfather' Ed Faron Pleads Guilty to Felony Dogfighting
Rescue Groups AbsentUPDATE 02/18/09: Following a judge's order, Wilkes County Animal Control euthanized 146 pit bulls. On Monday, Judge Ed Wilson Jr. of Superior Court, ruled that state law defines dogs as dangerous if they are involved in a dogfighting operation, and a county ordinance requires that dangerous dogs be destroyed. A number of animal-rescue groups had offered to place the dogs (not to take ownership of the dogs), but none of their representatives were at Monday's hearing when the judge was considering their fate.
02/16/09: Judge Orders Dogs EuthanizedThis morning, a Superior Court judge ordered the 127 pit bulls seized in the raid of Ed Faron's property, Wildside Kennels, be euthanized. Judge Ed Wilson entered the order after hearing arguments from Wilkes County officials, the prosecutor and the Humane Society of the U.S. that the dogs are dangerous and would pose a risk if adopted into homes. Also, Amanda Grace Lunsford, 25, the third and final defendant in the case, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals (Casanova's fiancé).
02/13/09: Faron Pleads Guilty; 8-10 Months PrisonWilkesboro, 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 ordinance requires the dogs to be put down. "It's not a matter of would, could or should. It's the law."
It's important to point out that Faron's dogs are top-notch, multi-generational game-bred dogs. Michael Vick's dogs were not.
As reported in a
previous post, Best Friends' offer to have the dogs sterilized and to assist the county with placing them still stands. In the instance of Vicks' dogs, the United States government required each recipient (
Best Friends,
BadRap and others) to carry a 1 million dollar liability policy. If Faron's game-bred pit bulls were ever placed for the purposes of "rehabilitation" and adoption, it would only be reasonable to mandate a
1 million dollar policy PER dog.
The attempt by Best Friends to show the Vick and Faron dogs as "equally" capable of rehabilitation is a distortion of the truth and dangerous.Related articles:01/22/09:
Best Friends Steps into the Ed Faron Dogfighting Bust to "Save" Unstable Dogs12/23/08:
Edward Faron of Wildside Kennels Has Been Charged by Authorities11/03/08:
Flashback: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Refuses Care of Pit Bulls
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