Stoddard County man pleads not guilty to dogfighting

Curtis Pickering, one of three men charged with felonies associated with an alleged dogfighting ring in Stoddard County, Mo., pleaded not guilty at an arraignment in Cape Girardeau County on Monday morning.

Stephen Walsh, attorney for Pickering, argued to reduce the $125,000 cash bond for his client, citing Pickering's steady employment and lack of prior criminal history.

Circuit Judge William L. Syler agreed to drop bond for Pickering down to $50,000 cash or surety.

A trial date has been set for June 17 and 18, with a pretrial conference set for June 16.

Pickering faces three counts of dogfighting, punishable by up to four years' imprisonment for each count.

Officers from Stoddard County Sheriff's Department arrested Pickering on Oct. 20 at the residence of Jamie Sifford in Dudley, Mo., after finding evidence of dogfighting.

Among the items recovered on the premises were harnesses with 50-pound weights, often used for hooking up pit bulls to weighted sleds to increase their endurance, first-aid supplies and a horse stall that had been converted into a ring for fighting.

Twenty-six dogs, mostly pit bulls, were seized in the bust, and are being cared for by the Humane Society of Missouri in St. Louis.

A tape showing clips from three dogfights was discovered in the glove box of a sport utility vehicle registered to Pickering.

The tape pertained to incidents occurring at Pickering's residence in Tennessee, not Sifford's property, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing.

Pickering's case was moved to Cape Girardeau on a change of venue from Stoddard County. Sifford, 29, of Dudley, Mo., will be tried Tuesday in Stoddard County on the 19 counts of dogfighting, three counts of possession of controlled substances and two counts of unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. Jessey Short, 30, of Cape Girardeau, was also arrested in connection with the raid on Sifford's property and faces five counts of dogfighting, to be tried May 12 in Stoddard County.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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