MARKHAM, Ill. (STNG) - A 75-count indictment was announced Wednesday against a South Holland man accused of running a massive dog-fighting operation.
Kevin Taylor, 29, of the 15900 block of South Cottage Grove in South Holland, was indicted on 37 counts of animal cruelty; 37 counts of owning, breeding and training fight dogs; and one count of possession of a controlled substance, according to Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton. He is slated for arraignment on Aug. 28 at the Markham Courthouse.
The Cook County Sheriff’s Department rescued 37 dogs from a heavily insulated and ventilated chicken coop behind Taylor’s house on July 13 in what officials called the largest seizure of its kind in state history.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said the seizure is the fourth largest on record in the United States. Investigators are not sure if fighting went on in the yard, but Dart said it was clear that Taylor was an active ringleader on the dog-fighting circuit.
Taylor’s home had all the makings of a sophisticated and professional dog-fighting operation. Treadmills and weights were nearby for building strength, while a female dog was kept in a separate room where breeding was done, Dart said.
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