By Staff
From staff reports
A Flomaton man has been charged with animal cruelty for operating hog/dog events following a joint investigation conducted by the Escambia County Sheriff's Department and the state Department of Agriculture and Alabama Department of Conservation.
Saturday night's search warrant execution was the final phase of an investigation that began more than a year ago into the cruel treatment of hogs during these events, held at the "Double P Catch Pen" located behind the residence of Sammy Ray Portwood on Community Church Road, which is west of Flomaton off Old Atmore Road.
Portwood turned himself in to sheriff's investigators on Monday morning and was arrested for one count of Cruelty to Animals and was released on a $2,000 bond.
At the "Double P Catch Pen" events, spectators are charged an entry fee to watch individual matches where a hog is released into a pen and a dog is timed to see how long it takes for the dog to "catch" the hog.
A number of outside agencies assisted the Escambia County Sheriff's Department with the year-long investigation into the operation.