Sheriff’s Office Breaks Up Cockfighting Event in Hermison

A Kennewick man was arrested and jailed on Sunday for his role in an alleged cockfighting event in Hermiston.

On Dec. 1 at approximately 11:27 p.m., Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office (UCSO) deputies responded to 31057 Klaus Road in Hermiston for a report of a cockfighting event that was in progress.

When the initial deputy arrived, a group of 20 or more people, including some children, took off running from the buildings and property, according to UCSO. One male, later identified as Francisco Hernandez Ramirez, was detained. A detective and additional deputies from the sheriff’s office responded to the scene to conduct the investigation.

More than 30 fighting roosters were seized along with other evidence. Ramirez, 49, from Kennewick, Wash., was arrested and lodged at the Umatilla County Jail on the felony charge of cockfighting under ORS 167.428. The sheriff’s office said the investigation is ongoing.

UCSO is reminding the public that cockfighting is a Class C felony. Anyone aware of an event within Umatilla County is asked to report it to your local law enforcement agency.

ORS 167.428 states a person commits the crime of cockfighting if the person knowingly:

• Owns, possesses, keeps, rears, trains, buys, sells or advertises or otherwise offers to sell a fighting bird
• Promotes or participates in, or performs services in furtherance of, the conducting of a cockfight (services in furtherance includes, but is not limited to, transporting spectators to a cockfight, handling fighting birds, organizing, advertising or refereeing a cockfight and providing, or acting as stakeholder for, money wagered on a cockfight)
• Keeps, uses or manages, or accepts payments of admission to, a place for the conducting of a cockfight
• Suffers or permits a place in the possession of control of the person to be occupied, kept or used for the conducting of a cockfight