Meet 52 year old Sherman Holt.
Holt, of Manchester, Georgia posed for the mugshot above after he was arrested for dog fighting and animal cruelty this past Friday.
Someone in the neighborhood called?authorities to investigate Holt after they spotted a man walking a puppy with a huge chain around it’s neck. ?When police responded to the home, they reportedly found at least 34 emaciated Pit Bulls and evidence of dog fighting.
Details below…
Meriwether County Sheriff Chuck Smith issued a news release stating that?Meriwether County patrol deputies responded to the area of Chapel Hill Road Thursday after someone reported seeing a man walking a small put bull dog down the road with a large chain tied or hooked around the dog?s neck.
?Upon our deputy conducting his initial investigation into the complaint and observing the dog it appeared to be emaciated,? Smith said.
?The deputy was able to document that the ribs and backbone of the pit bull were visible. Our Deputy was able to document the appearance of the pit bull through photographic evidence. He then forwarded his findings to our investigative division along with animal control.?
After further investigation, officials obtained an arrest warrant for Holt and a warrant to search his residence.
Officials took Holt into custody Friday at his home, where they also found a pit bull chained to a treadmill being forced to walk.
?These pit bulls were invested with fleas and most of the adult dogs were chained to car axles that were buried in the ground by large logging chains,? the sheriff said.
?Two litters of pit bull puppies were located in a make shift kennel that was cramped and also covered in fleas. We also located a large plastic drum filled with water with chains attached to both sides.?
Skeletal remains of dogs were also found on the property.
Based on the investigation, authorities determined that tank was used to make the canines tread water. There were other items located at the scene related to pit bull training and dog fighting, according to the release.
The dogs were seized and are being cared for by various animal control agencies in Meriwether County, LaGrange and Fayette County.
Sherman Holt, 52, was apprehended at his home and charged with one count of dog fighting, 25 counts of cruelty to animals and nine counts of aggravated cruelty to animals.?He was transported to the Meriwether County Jail under bonds totaling $112,500.