Monday, April 09, 2007

A federal magistrate says cockfighting is a form of illegal gambling,
delivering a legal setback to five men accused of running cockfights in
Cocke County. Defense attorney Robert Jessee argued this week that
cockfighting is a sport, similar to professional boxing, and not subject to
Tennessee's gaming laws. But Greeneville U-S Magistrate Dennis Inman ruled
yesterday that pitting roosters in a wagered fight to the death is defined
specifically as a form of gambling. Kenneth R- Frazier, his brother Allen
Eugene Frazier, George Ray Hicks, Ernest Arrowood Junior and James William
Russell are scheduled to stand trial in June. They are charged with
conducting an illegal gambling business and sponsoring or exhibiting
gamecocks in an animal-fighting venture at the 440 Cockfight Pit near
Newport. The first offense carries up to five years in prison, while the
second charge is a misdemeanor.