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Damien Terrell Wilson has been convicted of five felony counts for dog fighting and 14 misdemeanor counts related to dog fighting activities following his arrest in 2021, State’s Attorney Richard Fritz announced on Tuesday, July 12.
Charges were filed after 10 Pit Bulls and one Rottweiler were rescued from “a deplorable makeshift dog camp” in Chaptico, according to a spokesperson for the state's attorney’s office. The dogs were kept in an isolated area, which was “difficult to reach that Wilson accessed several times per week in a clandestine manner.”
The dogs were found to be in “various states of health due to being different ages and at various stages of training,” prosecutors said.
Five were assessed to have “significant scarring,” which is “professionally required to have 10 or more scars,” according to officials.
“Not only were the animals rescued, but items used in dogfighting were seized so they may not be used again by him or others for use in dogfighting or training activities,” Fritz said.
Wilson is facing a potential sentence of up to 18 years and six months in prison. According to the state’s attorney’s office, his attorney requested a pre-sentence investigation, and Wilson will be sentenced when that is complete.
“(I) would also like to thank Joy Wilson of Animal Control, who secured the assistance of nationally known dogfighting expert Amy Taylor,” Fritz said in a statement. “Ms. Taylor provided recommendations from the date of the seizure up to and including her testimony.”
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