Man gets 480 hours of service, $10,850 restitution for combat cocks

A Madera man is on three years probation for keeping and training fighting fowl, according to the Madera County District Attorney’s Office today.

Sentenced April 14, 29-year-old Jovani Joshua Hernandez should be performing 480 hours of community service and paying $10,850 restitution to the county’s Department of Animal Services during his probation.

District Attorney David A. Linn praised the work of the county sheriff’s Agriculture Crimes Investigation Unit on the case.

“The investigation saved 21 roosters before they were used in barbarous fights, and we will continue to vigorously prosecute suspects in order to protect the innocent animals in our community,” Linn said.

Hernandez was charged in September 2016 after an investigation by the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. Reports indicate deputies served a search warrant at his home, where they seized 21 fighting cocks and found metal knuckles.

The case was prosecuted by the district attorney’s Agricultural and Water Crimes Task Force.

“We remind the good people of Madera County that possessing animals for fighting is not only cruel and inhumane, it is illegal,” Linn said.