Four Arrested in Cock Fighting Ring Appear for Initial Hearing in Starke Circuit Court

Prisoners are escorted from Starke Circuit Court

Four individuals allegedly involved with the cock fighting ring in Starke County underwent their initial hearing Wednesday at the Starke Circuit Court. Benjamin Villicana, 32; Francisco Reyes, 37; Juan Gonzales, 33; and Francisco Fernando Reyes, 41 all entered preliminary not guilty pleas for their charges of one count Animal Fighting Contest, a class D felony after having their rights read and explained to them in Spanish by a DVD played in the courtroom because of their lack of fluency with English. The rest of the court session was translated by an interpreter over the phone.

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