16 arrested, more than 50 dead roosters discovered in Provo cockfighting bust

PROVO — More than a dozen people were arrested in Provo early Sunday when police busted an illegal cockfighting operation.

Police say the investigation began as a “welfare check.”

“During the course of a welfare check, officers were alerted to possible organized fighting involving roosters located at 1215 W. 600 South. Further investigation into the address history showed that there was a previous report of animal fighting, back in 2019,” a police booking affidavit states.

As part of their investigation, detectives flew a drone over the property and observed several people entering and exiting a shed.

“Drone footage also showed several vehicles in the parking area and showed people loading cages in and out of vehicles,” according to the affidavit.

An officer in an unmarked vehicle then got close enough to the shed where he “could see flashing lights coming from the shed and I could hear chickens crowing,” the affidavit states. A warrant was then obtained by police to search the property.

“As officers cleared the property, seven people were found on the property that told us that there were between 50-100 people present that had fled. Outside agencies were called and six more people were captured in a nearby park, with one of them being a juvenile. A vehicle leaving the property was also stopped at a traffic stop that had five more individuals inside. The total number of people arrested was 16,” police said.

Investigators also found more than 50 dead roosters in trailers, trash cans and bags on the property, according to the affidavit.

“There was also fresh blood on the chickens; there were 100-plus live roosters as well as hundreds of hens. The dead chickens were found in a large room with benches, score cards, and a winning board with a list of individuals on it. An adjacent room had several bottles of liquid with needles in them that are used to make the roosters more aggressive,” the affidavit alleges. “That room also contained several trophies that were labeled with various chicken-related achievements.”

In the vehicle stopped by police that had driven away from the shed, police found “razor claws for the roosters, more aggression-inducing drugs and two roosters in a box,” the affidavit says.

More than a dozen people were booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of potential charges such as aggravated cruelty to an animal, game fowl fighting, drug possession and fleeing from police.

Those arrested came from all over Utah, including Salt Lake City, West Jordan, Magna, Huntington, Mt. Pleasant in Sanpete County, Layton, Provo, Roosevelt, Cleveland in Emery County and National City, California.

This story may be updated.