COLUMBIA -- Officers say it was neighbors who called police. The neighbors said it looked like an organized dog fight was going on in the backyard of the house at 4500 Wrenwood Drive.
Columbia Police Department Public Information Officer Jessie Haden said, "As they observed, one dog had blood on it, and there was cheering going on."
Police say when the got to the house, the residents were gone, but two pit bulls were still there. Animal Control officers seized the two dogs. They were taken to the Central Missouri Humane Society. Officers say both dogs have injuries.
Haden said, "One of the dogs had lacerations to its face. It wasn't as seriously injured as the other. The other dog had significant lacerations across its body."
Juan Carlos Laboy, 28, is charged with animal abuse because when he left his home here on Wrenwood the dogs were still nursing their wounds. No one got them medical help.
Haden said, "We take things like this seriously. It's not appropriate for the animals. It's not acceptable for the animals to be abused or neglected. Let alone if dog fighting is involved. So, we're going to investigate as thoroughly as we can."
Haden says this investigation is ongoing. Police also say a third dog was removed from the house before the officers arrived. This dog was seriously injured. Police are still looking for this dog, and a man in a black Ford Explorer.
When police were at the home they also found drugs. Laboy faces charges for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. Laboy is home after posting a $1500 bond.
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