A Kent man and three other men pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning at their arraignments in King County Superior Court in Kent to charges of animal fighting in connection with illegal cockfighting operations in Kent and Auburn.
Antonio Montiel Flores, 37, of Kent, pleaded not guilty to an animal-fighting charge that on Nov. 12 at his Kent home he was in possession and possibly trained a rooster, with the intent that the animal be engaged in a fighting exhibition with another rooster, according to charging papers.
Willie Manuel Castro, 66, of Enumclaw, and Godofredo J. Ramac, 74, of Seabeck, also pleaded not guilty to animal-fighting charges, in connection with an Aug. 15 incident in Auburn.
A fourth man, Lazaro Murillo-Flores, 34, of Auburn, pleaded not guilty to animal fighting in connection with a Dec. 11 incident at rental property he owns in Kent in the 12700 block of Southeast Kent-Kangley Road.
The four men are not in custody. They are scheduled to return to court Feb. 24 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent when a trial date could be set or attorneys from either side could ask for more time to prepare the cases.
Antonio Flores and Castro showed up alone in court Wednesday. Ramac and Murillo-Flores each had a relative or friend with them. The four men did not sit by each other or talk to each other while waiting in court for their cases to be heard. Antonio Flores and Murillo-Flores each used a Spanish interpreter during their arraignments.
If found guilty, each possibly could face a prison sentence of up to five years because the crime is a Class C felony, according to an e-mail from Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
In the Antonio Flores case, King County Animal Control officers and the Kent Police executed a search warrant Nov. 12 at the home of Flores in the 27200 block of 116th Place Southeast.
The officers found numerous cages, bird carriers and cockfighting magazines and photos. The officers impounded 10 birds that were photographed, documented and later euthanized at the county’s Kent Shelter.
Flores told officers he did not know he was doing anything illegal. He said cockfighting was legal in Mexico. He said he raised the birds for a hobby and to eat them. Flores said he does send some of the birds to family members in Mexico.
Castro and Ramac reportedly were among about a dozen men Aug. 15 at a temporary cockfighting arena set up at the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation in Auburn.
A man walking his dog called police to report cockfighting going on along Stuck River Drive Aug. 15. Officers from the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Auburn Police and King County Animal Control arrived at the scene and found a few dozen birds in the cages of several vehicles parked near a portable arena.
Animal Control officers took 36 of the birds into custody. Each had its crown removed, which is consistent with illegal cock fighting, according to court documents.
Murillo-Flores allegedly bred, kept and sold roosters to parties in Mexico with the intent that they be used for fighting, according to charging papers filed Dec. 31.
Kent Police received a report that around 3 p.m. each day the sound of chickens fighting could be heard from a boarded compound along Kent-Kangley Road.
Officers found pens that held about 50 birds. Animal Control officers arrived and counted 31 birds that had their leg spurs and combs surgically removed.
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