Jury to weigh wounds, injuries as Orange County dogfighting case nears verdict

Cuts, bruises, worms and tick-borne parasites were some of the ailments 30 dogs had when they were seized from an Orange County man’s residence last year.

A jury will begin considering Tuesday whether the animals’ condition and other evidence are enough to find their owner guilty of dogfighting.

Daniel Isiah Crew, 42, of Rougemont faces 30 counts of dogfighting after Orange County authorities seized 30 dogs, parts of an alleged dog-fighting pit and treadmills meant for the dogs to exercise. He also faces charges of animal cruelty, The News & Observer previously reported.

Defense attorney Robert Myrick told jurors they had insufficient evidence to convict Crew of the accusations against him.

“Daniel does not have to prove his innocence,” he told the jury, saying several times that the prosecution must prove Crew is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The equipment associated with exercising the dogs may have been meant to train them to sell them for legal activities such as hunting, Myrick said.

He also argued that the dogs may have acquired their wounds and injuries before they came into Crew’s possession and that having worms and illnesses did not prove animal cruelty.

“He did not do anything intentionally to cause these dogs to have worms,” he said.

Myrick also emphasized that the jury should not consider that Crew chose not to testify.

Crew’s family members sat in the courtroom Monday. During breaks in proceedings, he spent time with them.

The prosecutor, Anna Orr, described the condition of each dog and the charges associated with them. She showed photos of the dogs and their bruises, which she said were consistent with those obtained through dogfighting, according to expert witnesses.

“Can you see that the dog is sick or injured?” she asked the jury.

Orr said negligence left 26 out of the 30 dogs with worms and with dirty water.

“Many issues would have easily been identified if they were taken to a vet,” she said.

Orr also said carrying the sort of weight in chains and the way they were bound was specific to dogfighting. She also emphasized that there were no records of legal transactions for the dogs.

Of the 30 seized dogs, 22 were euthanized after they were deemed too dangerous to reenter society. The remaining eight were adopted into new homes.

The trial began Sept. 12. The jury will begin deliberations at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Orange County Courthouse.