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Scott Brothers Indicted on
On February 26, Doña Ana County’s Chief Deputy District Attorney Susan Riedel won the first victory in a major dog fighting prosecution case by securing a total of 53 criminal counts against brothers Duryea and Duron Scott, including felony dogfighting and felony extreme animal cruelty charges. Heather Ferguson of Animal Protection of New Mexico (APNM) was present in the Las Cruces courtroom to give testimony for the grand jury. In August of 2007, Ferguson, Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White, Doña Ana County sheriffs and El Paso police served search warrants on four properties owned by the two suspected dogfighters, as representatives of Attorney General Gary King’s Animal Cruelty Task Force (ACT). Fifty-three pit bulls were taken into protective custody by local animal control. Many of the adult dogs exhibited scarring consistent with dogfighting. Authorities also seized training equipment for dogfighting as well as incriminating documents related to dogfighting from the brothers’ properties. APNM applauds the hard work of the district attorney’s office of Doña Ana County, the sheriff’s office and animal control to get these indictments. ACT and APNM will work with prosecutors to provide resources to assist with the prosecution of this case. Below is Wednesday’s related press release from the attorney general’s office:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dog Fighters Indicted: (LAS CRUCES) — A grand jury in Las Cruces has indicted twin brothers on multiple charges including dog fighting, extreme cruelty and conspiracy in a case coordinated closely by Attorney General Gary King’s Animal Cruelty Taskforce (ACT). Duryea and Duron Scott, of El Paso, Texas, had been the focus of a task force and local law enforcement investigation since last October following raids on four properties controlled by the twins in Chaparral, N.M. and El Paso. “This is a good outcome for our Animal Cruelty Taskforce, especially since we just received funding from the Legislature and I think this shows it is money well spent,” says Attorney General King. “Whether it is a celebrity football player in Atlanta or twins from El Paso, this action underscores the fact that people in New Mexico and the nation are not going to stand for this type of cruelty to animals any longer.” Charges against Duryea Scott include: Charges against Duron Scott include: If convicted, the brothers face more than a combined 65 years in prison. No word yet on a trial date.
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