Dinwiddie man given 10 years for dogfighting, animal cruelty

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - A Dinwiddie County man was sentenced to 10 years in prison on 37 counts of animal cruelty and dogfighting.

Court records show Eldridge Freeman participated in dogfighting on Wilson Road in Dinwiddie. Investigators found a fighting pit with carpet, a tarp for cover and what appeared to be blood stains on the inside.

“Dogfighting paraphernalia, heavily scarred dogs, wound dressings and others items associated with dog breeding and dogfighting were also found on the property,” Attorney General Mark Herring said in a news release.

“Freeman housed the dogs in an inhumane way in plastic barrels, water tanks or plywood whelping boxes, all of which were not insulated and did not have bedding for the animals,” Herring’s office said.

In addition to the prison sentence, Freeman received a lifetime ban on owning a companion animal.

Authorities seized 26 dogs from Freeman’s property.

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