Two illegal cockfighting operations are set to go this weekend in Kentucky!

July 16, 2021

DEAR FRIENDS,

Two criminal cockfighting operations, Hawk's Nest and Blackberry, are set to hold illegal cockfights this Saturday in Pike County, KY. This comes on the heels of the state police in Laurel County busting up a cockfight last Saturday, after SHARK investigators who were monitoring the cockfighting location called it in.

SHARK has reached out to both the local State Police Troop and the Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police regarding these fighting pits, but there's been no response.

Please politely and respectfully contact the Commissioner and State Police Post Commander, as well as other state officials, and ask that they take action to permanently shut down these major criminal organizations.

Colonel Phillip Burnett, Jr. Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police:
[email protected]

KY State Police Commander for Post 9, Captain Randal Surber:
[email protected]

Please also call Post 9 and ask them to send troopers out tomorrow to shut the two pits down. If they ask for the location, tell them that SHARK has provided the exact locations of both pits to them many times and they know where they are:
(606) 433 – 7711

Other officials to include:

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

From SHARK's undercover video from a KY cockfight

Cockfights are a true blight upon the state of Kentucky. They are havens for drug dealing, illegal guns, human trafficking and illegal gambling. They must be shut down permanently. We want to sincerely thank our partners at the Humane Farming Association (HFA) for their friendship and continued support of our work.

Charles "Magoo" Dixon runs "Hawk's Nest"

Tim Sizemore runs the Blackberry Pit

The following is the letter SHARK sent to Colonel Phillip Burnett, Jr. the Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police:

Commissioner Burnett, Jr. -

As you are probably aware, officers of the Kentucky State Police busted a long running, illegal cockfight in Laurel County on Saturday night. Over one hundred people were in attendance.

Ten people were reportedly cited, including a bailiff with the Laurel County Sheriff’s Department. While we would have liked to see many more arrests, this is a very welcome, long overdue move.

• There are two illegal cockfighting pits in Pike County which are among the largest in Kentucky, and both of these criminal operations are planning on holding illegal cockfights this coming Saturday, July 17th.

We have repeatedly spoken about these pits with KSP personnel at Post 9 in the past, including Captain Randy Sturber, but these pits, called “Blackberry" and "Hawk’s Nest" continue their criminal activities as recently as last Saturday.

• The Blackberry pit currently holds cockfights on Saturdays, during the day. Blackberry is managed by Tim Sizemore, a well-known, longtime cockfighter.

Blackberry’s coordinates are: 37.53408046633785, -82.21415774465909

• The Hawk’s Nest pit holds fights on Saturday night. Hawk’s Nest is managed by Charles Howard Dixon, whose nickname is “Magoo.” We went so far as to provide Post 9 a printed schedule from the pit, which you can view on our website. We can also email you the schedule if you prefer.

Hawk’s Nest coordinate are: 37°33’50.4"N, 82°13’33.6”W

Personnel at Post 9 have admitted that they are aware of these criminal operations, but have refused to properly perform their responsibilities to shut down these criminal enterprises. These pits must be shut down now, not temporarily, but permanently in accordance with the law.

I await your timely response.

Sincerely,

Steve Hindi, President

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.