Cheektowaga man sentenced for role in dog fighting operation

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Cheektowaga man was sentenced to one year in prison in connection with an animal cruelty case involving dog fighting, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.

Officials said police executed a search warrant at the residence of James A. Jackson, 24, on April 13, 2022 in Cheektowaga following a tip about dog fighting. Investigators recovered evidence of dog fighting and seized three dogs found in the basement of the home, while the remains of two others were recovered in the backyard.

Jackson admitted that he trained three pit bull mixed breeds to engage in dog fighting and intentionally deprived the dogs of food and medical treatment, according to officials.

“This is a horrible case involving a defendant who tortured innocent dogs and used cruel methods to train them to become dangerous animals,” said Acting Erie County District Attorney Mike Keane in a release. “This case highlights the tragedy of these underground, illegal activities. I want to thank the SPCA Serving Erie County for their work in this case and their efforts to rescue animals from abusive environments.”

Jackson pleaded guilty in March to three counts of prohibition of animal fighting, four counts of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance and one count of prohibition of animal fighting, possession, sale or making of animal fight paraphernalia.

As part of the sentence, a final “no animal” order was issued, which prohibits Jacksom from owning or caring for any animals for the next 30 years. The charges against a co-defendant of Jackson’s, who was also indicted for their alleged role in the dog fighting, were dismissed.

Jackson’s one-year sentence in the animal cruelty case will be served concurrently to a determinate two-year followed by three years of post-release supervision sentence in connection with a gun charge. He pleaded guilty to a second-degree attempted criminal possession of a weapon charge in connection with a May 2023 incident.

Officials said Jackson was stopped by Buffalo police and proceeded to drive off when officers asked him to step out of the vehicle. Jackson then caused a collision with another vehicle and attempted to flee on foot from police, but was quickly apprehended. Police later found a loaded illegal handgun behind the driver’s seat of Jackson’s vehicle, which he was linked to through DNA testing.

Adam Gorski is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team in 2022. You can find more of his work here .