Trial of Cape Girardeau man in dogfighting case postponed to March

The trial for Cape Girardeau man accused of participating in dogfighting last October was postponed Friday, according to court officials. Jessey Short, 32, was slated to stand jury trial at 9 a.m. Friday in Stoddard County, but attorneys in the case opted to push back the proceedings. A motion hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. March 23. The jury trial was set for at 9 a.m. March 30. Short was charged with five counts of dogfighting after a raid Oct. 21, 2007, on the property of Jamie Sifford, who was also arrested. Sifford pleaded guilty in July to a probation violation and received a six-year sentence, plus three years on the related dogfighting charges. A Tennessee man, Curtis Pickering, was also arrested and faces three charges of felony dogfighting. The charges are punishable by up to five years in prison for each charge. Pickering[']s case has been transferred to Dunklin County on a change of venue.�