An Akron man is charged in federal court with dog fighting and drug dealing.
AKRON, Ohio— An Akron man faces federal charges after agents seized 15 dogs from his home, where they found bloody training equipment and evidence of a dog-fighting ring.
Ronald Smith, 39, is charged with dog fighting, drug dealing and possessing guns with a felony record in a 22-count indictment unsealed on Tuesday in federal court in Akron.
U.S. Marshals arrested Smith on Tuesday. He is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday in front of U.S. District Judge John Adams. Court records do not list an attorney for Smith.
Federal agents in April and May searched Smith’s homes— one on Fultz Street and one on Herman Avenue— and found the dogs and dogfighting equipment, according to the indictment.
Along with the 15 dogs, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents found motorized treadmills designed for dogs, including one that featured a live, caged rabbit set in front of the treadmill. Investigators said the rabbit acted as bait for the dogs to chase during training.
Smith possessed performance-enhancing drugs for the dogs, and medication to treat the dogs’ injuries, according to court records. He also had numerous “break sticks,” used to beat dogs during training for fights. The sticks were spattered with blood and had teeth marks on them, according to court records.
Investigators also found a heavy metal dog chains in the homes. The dog-fighting ring was set up at Smith’s home on Fultz Street, just east of East Boulevard, according to court records.
Diane Johnson-Owens, the president and CEO of the Humane Society of Greater Akron, said her organization took in the first six dogs seized. She said the dogs were thin, had open wounds and scars. All were thin and not well fed, and they lived in “deplorable conditions.”
“These dogs all had nice dispositions, but they sure had a rough life,” Johnson-Owens said.
Johnson-Owens said the U.S. Marshals later took custody of those dogs, along with the others.
Smith is also accused of conspiring to distribute fentanyl, a fentanyl analog, and oxycodone. He also is accused of possessing three handguns.
He is barred from possessing a weapon because of numerous felony convictions, including for burglary, aggravated assault, drug possession and heroin trafficking, court records say.
It’s the first federal dog-fighting charges out of Akron since 2014, when police and FBI agents busted a nationwide ring based on Cordova Avenue and arrested 47 people, including several who ended up charged in federal court.
The ringleader, Alvin Banks, was sentenced to four years in prison— two in state prison and two in federal lockup— for organizing and hosting the fights at his home, which drew spectators from six states.
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