Daytona Beach man convicted of dog fighting and animal cruelty charges
A Daytona Beach man is facing decades in prison after he was convicted Friday of dog fighting and animal cruelty charges.
Noble Gene Geathers, 56, was convicted after a five-day trial of 12 animal cruelty counts, nine animal fighting counts and one count of animal fighting-property promoting. Each of the charges is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
“This defendant has been a scourge in our community for too long. It is time to send himaway for good,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said of the case.
The case began on Feb. 22, 2021, when Daytona Beach police and animal control officers seized 42 dogs, including puppies, from a home at 225 Reva St.
Some of the dogs had heavy chains attached to them. Some were being kept in makeshift wooden cages while others were tied to vehicle axles buried in the ground. Other dogs were kept in carriers.
Detectives determined that some of the dogs were being bred and then used in an organized dog fighting ring. Detectives also found dogs with wounds in different stages of healing.
Police also found dog supplements and injectable medication which was often used in organized dog fighting.
Circuit Judge Leah Case will sentence Geathers on May 19 at the S. James Foxman Justice Center in Daytona Beach.
Man gets jail for killing dog Port Orange man barred from owning pets, gets 6 months in jail for beating dog to death
Dogs die in hot car Woman sentenced to 1 year probation for death of 4 dogs in hot car in New Smyrna Beach
According to the ASPCA, dogfighting is a felony in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, yet it continues. It describes the activity as "one of the most heinous forms of animal cruelty."
Dogs used for fighting are typically raised in isolation, so they spend most of their lives on short, heavy chains. They are regularly conditioned for fighting through the use of drugs, including anabolic steroids to enhance muscle mass and encourage aggressiveness.
Assistant State Attorneys Mike Willard and Dan Megaro prosecuted the case.
Another man charged in the case, Benjamin Ponder III, 35, has entered no-contest pleas to similar charges as part of a plea agreement and has yet to be sentenced.
According to the conditional plea agreement, Ponder will be sentenced to two years in state prison followed by eight years probation and will be eligible for early termination of probation. An addendum to the plea agreement was not available Friday night.
A third man, Earl Holmes, 53, also faces principal to cruelty to animal charges in the case and other charges and his case remains open.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach man convicted in dog-fighting, animal cruelty case