Several arrested after deputies bust cockfighting ring in Ridgeville

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) – More than a dozen people were arrested for participating in a cockfighting ring on Saturday.

Deputies with the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office responded to a location on Clayton Lane in Ridgeville around 12:40 p.m. 

Once there, deputies observed several people under a large canopy gathered around a cockfighting ring with roosters actively fighting.

Several people were detained. “Some participants were seen fleeing in the woods,” officials said.

Deputies said that as of 7:40 p.m., 18 people have been arrested and are being taken to the L C Knight Dorchester County Detention Center for processing and booking. 

“In addition, 35 citations have been issued,” the agency said.

Animal control crews also responded and collected carcasses of the dead roosters and are handling live roosters that were confiscated at the scene.

Officials said the scene is active and an investigation is ongoing.