Eight roosters had to be rescued in Youngstown after police uncovered a suspected cockfighting ring.

It happened last week during a homicide investigation on the city's east side.

"They were all housed separately, which is standard in cockfighting," said Jane MacMurchy, operations director at Animal Charity of Ohio.

Six of those roosters are in the possession of Animal Charity, the other two, have already been adopted.  Jane says upon rescue, the roosters were immediately checked out by a veterinarian, and are all expected to be okay.

"They were underweight, they were deprived of food and water, it was sad to see how they were kept," added MacMurchy.

The investigation is still ongoing and it is unclear at this time if police have any suspects, however Jane says there is no tolerance for this.

"Cockfighting ranges, sometimes it's just a misdemeanor, sometimes it's a felony," MacMurchy explained.

Under the Ohio Revised Code, the severity of the penalties depend on a number of factors.  

Misdemeanors      
 
 (A) No person shall knowingly do either of the following:
(1) Engage in cockfighting, bearbaiting, or pitting an animal against another;
(2) Use, train, or possess any animal for seizing, detaining, or maltreating a domestic animal.

 

Felonies

(B) No person shall knowingly do either of the following:
(1) Be employed at cockfighting, bearbaiting, or pitting an animal against another;
(2) Do any of the following regarding an event involving cockfighting, bearbaiting, or pitting an animal against another:
(a) Wager money or anything else of value on the results of the event;
(b) Pay money or give anything else of value in exchange for admission to or being present at the event;
(c) Receive money or anything else of value in exchange for the admission of another person to the event or for another person to be present at the event;
(d) Use, possess, or permit or cause to be present at the event any device or substance intended to enhance an animal's ability to fight or to inflict injury on another animal;
(e) Permit or cause a minor to be present at the event if any person present at or involved with the event is conducting any of the activities described in division (B)(1) or (B)(2)(a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section.
(C) A person who knowingly witnesses cockfighting, bearbaiting, or an event in which one animal is pitted against another when a violation of division (B) of this section is occurring at the cockfighting, bearbaiting, or event is an aider and abettor and has committed a violation of this division.
 
For instance, engaging in a cockfight may only be a misdemeanor, but betting on the fight may rise to the level of a felony.