(Benton County, MS) Fifty-two people were originally arrested Easter morning at a huge dog fighting event in Benton County.
As many as 80-vehicles were left behind and some suspects took off running when lawmen swooped down on the scene.
It also turns out thousands of dollars in cash were left behind.
In just the past few days, four more people turned themselves in to authorities in Ashland, Mississippi,
Cars, pickups, SUV’s and vans belonging to people arrested in a huge dog fighting ring, make the Benton County Fairgrounds look like a used car lot.
Investigators have a found a lot more than clothing, id’s and driver’s licenses inside the vehicles.
Benton County Sheriff Arnie McMullen says lawmen hit the jackpot, “We found $10,000 hidden in a compartment on a Nissan car yesterday.”
McMullen says that’s “small change” compared to what officers found on suspects when they were nabbed Easter Sunday, “I think we took something like $80,000 off them at the time of the arrest.”
In addition to the cash, there were more than a dozen pistols and assault rifles seized during the raid.
The Sheriff says, while the dog fighting investigation continues, almost a $100,000 will stay in a safe place, “We put it in a bank. We put the money in the bank.”
He would like to see the confiscated money divided among the many agencies that assisted in the raid, “We had Hardeman County, Tennessee; Fayette County, Tennessee; Desoto County, Mississippi; Marshall County, Highway Patrol, FBI. We’ve had so many, you know.”
Wednesday federal agents were processing some of the vehicles inside the Benton County Fairgrounds arena and away from our camera.
They’re looking for more clues to who was driving, who was a passenger and who managed to escape on foot.
The Sheriff says arrest numbers are changing day by day, “We’ll have some more come in.”
So far, all the suspects have posted $20,000 dollar bonds and are out of jail.
They are expected to be bound over to the Grand Jury when it meets in June.