What started out as a drug investigation resulted in Joliet police rescuing several hens, roosters and baby chicks from two men believed to have used some of the animals for fighting, authorities said Thursday.
Police recovered 29 animals in total, including 15 roosters, four hens, nine baby chicks and a puppy. All were turned over to Joliet Township Animal Control. Officials there confirmed that 15 of the animals were being placed with Determined to Rise, an animal rescue group in Manteno.
“Despite the conditions that they came from, we’re happy to report that they’re all doing well and receiving the care that they need,” Joliet Township Animal Control Assistant Director Becky Gomez said.
Joliet police on Wednesday arrested Rolando Rodriguez-Gasca, 39, and another man, 51, who had not yet been charged. Both are from Joliet.
Rodriguez-Gasca, who remains in custody, appeared in court Thursday afternoon and was charged with nine counts of animal torture, a felony of unlawful manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance and three felony charges of manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance, said Courtney Hogan, an assistant state’s attorney for the Will County state’s attorney’s office. His next court date is May 14.
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The other man, who was not in custody, had not been formally charged as of Thursday afternoon. Hogan said she expects formal charges to be filed by the man’s court date set for May 20.
Hogan anticipates additional charges will be filed against both men.
“Animal cruelty is not an isolated act, it is often a warning sign of broader violence,” Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said in a written statement. “The same individuals who harm defenseless animals frequently pose a danger to people as well.”
Joliet police Chief Bill Evans said that during an investigation, members of the department’s narcotics unit noticed a large number of roosters in cages in the backyard of a residence in the 400 block of Meeker Avenue. Factors found there indicated the roosters were being used for fighting purposes.
Police secured a search warrant for the home and recovered equipment often used for animal fighting including metal spurs, straps, medications and transport containers. Police also recovered cash and a substance suspected to be cocaine, Evans said.
Gomez said the roosters and hens showed signs of injuries consistent with game fighting. Many of the roosters’ combs and wattles were cut off and some had injuries on their claws. All of the animals underwent an exam by a veterinarian Thursday, Gomez said.
Joliet police Officer Katelyn Kozielski, who started the department’s animal cruelty unit in 2016, said it appeared the roosters were transported off-site to be used in fights and that the men were breeding the animals. During interviews, Kozielski said the men admitted to cutting the combs off the roosters and one admitted to traveling and shipping animals to Mexico.
She said police were uncertain where the rooster fights took place and that the investigation remains active. She noted that police made a rooster fighting arrest about a month ago.
“This is not the end for us,” she said. “We’re going to continue working this case as long as it takes.”