Police arrest Illinois man on dog-fighting charges; 23 pit bulls seized

By The Associated Press | Thursday, August 21, 2008

   STEWARDSON, Ill.  — Authorities in Shelby County have seized 23 pit bulls and arrested a 34-year-old man on dog fighting charges after finding the animals chained at his home.

   Matthew Dalton also was charged with one count of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver after investigators also found nine pounds of marijuana at his residence in the central Illinois community of Stewardson.

   Dalton was arrested Tuesday after a sheriff's deputy saw the dogs while serving civil court papers at the home. The department described them as thin and scarred and there was no sign of any food or water for them.

   During a search of the property, authorities found an alleged dog fighting arena or ``pit.''