Wayne County Sheriff's Office makes four more arrests in dog fighting ring
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on October 31, 2017 3:41 PM
Sabastian Arness Woods
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Jalisa Janae Bryant
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Kevin Anthony Winn
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Thomas E. Whitehorn
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office Monday served four more warrants on people connected with a Lenoir County dog fighting ring.
Thomas E. Whitehorn Jr., 39, of 504 Dail St., Kevin Anthony Winn, 28, of 208 E. Kornegay St. in Mount Olive, Jalisa Janea Bryant, 27, of 313 Oliver St. in Pollocksville and Sabastian Arness Woods, 50, of 1101 Harris St., are all charged with felony dog fighting.
They each received $5,000 secured bonds.
The latest round of warrants brings the total number served by Wayne County deputies in the case to nine.
Five people were served warrants for dog fighting by Wayne County deputies on Friday, Oct. 27, all but one of whom had addresses in Wayne County.
Those warrants for felony dog fighting were served on Deja Monique Bryant, 22, 6601 Roundstone Drive, Raleigh; Briana Lashay Flanagan, 22, 378 Kelly Springs Road, Mount Olive; Ryan Jaquan Gross, 23, 100 Larchmont Circle; Angela King, 45, 1203 Edgerton St.; and Faronta Thompson, 40, 660 E. New Hope Road.
All five were placed under $5,000 secured bonds.
The warrants were issued by Lenoir County, but served by Wayne County deputies.
Two Lenoir County men were previously charged by Kinston police.
Kinston police officers responded to a dog fighting complaint at 430 Sherman St., Kinston, around 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21.
A crowd of people fled in to the nearby woods when officers arrived.
Two injured dogs as well as a wooden dog fighting ring were found on the property.
One of the dogs was treated for injuries and turned over the Lenoir County SPCA, while the other dog is still being cared for, including receiving 48 staples to the face and neck area, police spokesman Woody Spencer said.
The officers also seized three more dogs from the property, all of them uninjured.
Officers arrested the resident, Hal Tyler Jr., 40, on a charge of felonious dog fighting. He was placed in the Lenoir County Detention Center under a $15,000 bond.
Juan Derico Rufus, 43, of 661 Will Baker Road, Kinston, was charged with felony dog fighting. Rufus received a $10,000 secured bond on the charge.