Sheriff’s office recovers four animals; one dead dog
A Springfield woman has been arrested on dog cruelty charges following the discovery of a possible training operation for dog fighting.
An Effingham County Prison inmate work crew led sheriff’s office deputies Tuesday to a mobile home on Oakton Drive off of Standard Lane where deputies found items used in dog fight training and three chained pit bulls.
Effingham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman David Ehsanipoor said deputies were called Tuesday afternoon work crew inmates discovered a dead dog in an ice chest.
What breed of dog it is could not be determined at the scene due to decomposition.
The ice chest was found in an overgrown ditch behind the mobile home that inmates were clearing.
Three pit bull dogs were also seen chained in the yard at the rear of the home.
“One of the dogs is malnourished and shows signs of being used in dog fighting,” Ehsanipoor said. “When deputies arrived they also saw items used in training dogs to fight.”
One item, a homemade treadmill and stand used for breeding, was taken by the sheriff’s office following execution of a search warrant.
Other items found include restraint devices, padlocks, chains, cable cords used to wrap around their necks, vitamins and other unknown solutions with syringes which were used to inject the dogs, Ehsanipoor said.
The sheriff’s office took custody of the three dogs in addition to a puppy in a crate on the home’s back porch.
Simone Lamar, 26, has been charged with dog fighting, cruelty to animals, and methods of disposal of dead animals.
Additional arrests and charges are expected as this is an ongoing investigation, Ehsanipoor said.
Lamar is currently being held in the Effingham County Jail.