Duplin Co. dog-fighting ‘legend’ gets five years in prison

By MARTHA WAGGONER
Associated Press

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — A 78-year-old North Carolina man described as a legend in the dog-fighting world will spend five years behind bars, the maximum a federal judge could impose.

Harry Hargrove of Duplin County was sentenced Thursday in US District Court in Raleigh on dog-fighting charges. Hargrove pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this year, and prosecutors sought a sentence longer than recommended federal guidelines of 10 months to 16 months.

A federal motion says Hargrove has been involved in dog-fighting in the South for about 40 years.

Hargrove told Judge Terrence Boyle he once has more than 100 fighting dogs, but he’d cut back to 35 by the time he was arrested. All 35 dogs found on his property in April 2010 were euthanized.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)