A Georgia man who ran a massive dog fighting operation has been handed a 475 year prison sentence, according to a report.
Vincent Lemark Burrell was 55 when he was arrested in November 2022. He was sentenced on 93 counts of dog fighting and 10 counts of cruelty to animals, Fox 5 reported. The sentence is believed by prosecutors to be the longest in U.S. history in an animal cruelty or dogfighting case.
Police stated in a press release that investigators found 106 dogs on Burrell's property. Most were pit bulls and many were emaciated. Many also were extremely aggressive toward other dogs. "The sad part is that the vast majority of these animals just craved the love and attention of the Deputies and Detectives that were on the scene," the police stated.
Police placed the animals with various rescue and rehabilitation shelters. The dogs were found tied to trees, metal stakes in the ground and many were malnourished and dehydrated. Many of the animals were kept outside attached to various items; some were kept in Burrell's basement, which smelled so strongly of urine and feces that officers had to wear protective gear to enter.
"I am proud of the teamwork that has been exhibited in this case and I am thankful that these dogs are safe now. The dark and sinister world of dog fighting is a despiciable culture that has no place in our world," Sheriff Gary Gulledge said at the time of Burrell's arrest.
The prosecutor on the case later said the way the animals were kept was indicative of a massive dogfighting operation.
"Everywhere you looked, you couldn't take a step in any one direction without there being another pit bull staked out on a chain. And the purpose of doing that is dog fighting. They will put the pit bull out on a chain, and they space each dog out enough that they can see each other. They can agitate each other, but they can actually get to one another. And it's part of the building of aggression that they used to train fighting dogs," Fox News quoted Paulding County Assistant District Attorney and lead prosecutor on the case, K.C. Pagnotta.
