SHARK's Work Against The Tiger King, Cockfighting in the News!

July 14, 2021

DEAR FRIENDS,

This past Saturday night, SHARK investigators were on the ground in Kentucky monitoring an illegal cockfighting operation called, "Bald Rock." Once we knew there was a cockfight going on, we alerted the state police who sent out four cruisers. Thankfully they shut the cockfight down and cited at least ten people. We want to sincerely thank our partners at the Humane Farming Association (HFA) for their friendship and continued support of our work.

A screenshot from the drone video we took of the cockfight. There were more than 100 people in attendance.

One of the people who we believe was cited is Jacklyn Johnson. SHARK first exposed Johnson a year ago when we discovered that not only was she a cockfighter, but that she worked as a bailiff at the Laurel County Sheriff's department. That's right; a law enforcement officer who was supposed to stop criminal operations like Bald Rock was actually working at one. That's how corrupt things are in KY. It must be noted that Ms. Johnson’s name was subsequently removed from the Sheriff's website.

Jacklyn Johnson's picture as it used to appear on the Laurel County Sheriff's website. Is it any wonder that cockfighting has thrived in Laurel County when you have a cockfighter on staff at the Sheriff's department?

We reached out to Laurel County Sheriff John Root numerous times regarding Ms. Johnson’s relationship to illegal cockfights, but Root never responded.

There needs to be a state investigation into Sheriff John Root’s ties to cockfighting. There’s no question that Root has long allowed this illegal behavior in his county. The only question is, how big is his cut?

SHARK and HFA will continue to fight against and expose illegal cockfighting operations across our country. These disgusting and cruel criminal ventures not only destroy animal lives, but humans as well.

Constant pursuit of animal abusers is an absolute must. This is a large part of why SHARK is more productive than other groups. We don't sit in offices - we are in the field. Unfortunately, this costs money for fuel, food, lodging, wear and tear on vehicles and equipment. Travel isn't fun when you're chasing animals abusers. It's not fun at all, but it is vital to make positive change.