Couple denies dog fighting charges
A Round Lake Beach couple Wednesday pleaded not guilty to charges they ran a dogfighting operation out of their home.
Moises Colon, 33, and Estella Gonzalez, 24, face up to three years in prison if convicted of any of the 43 counts of felony dogfighting they each face.
Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Ken LaRue said the couple was arrested Sept. 11 when police, acting on a tip, brought a search warrant to their home at 1624 Poplar Ave.
Police found 27 pit bulls, some of them sick or injured, kenneled in their own feces in the garage.
The remains of a dead dog were dug up in the back yard, and police said they found a manual on dogfighting, pictures of dogfighting and numerous drugs used for breeding animals inside the house.
The Lake County Health Department took custody of the dogs, LaRue said, some of which had to be destroyed.
Because of the current charges against him, Colon also faces the revocation of his probation from a 2007 conviction for cocaine possession.
LaRue said if Colon is resentenced on that charge, he could face an additional three years in prison.
The couple, both of whom are free on bond, are due back in court Nov. 13 for the scheduling of dates.