PHOENIX — A Phoenix man is facing dozens of felony charges after Glendale police say they uncovered a cockfighting operation while serving a search warrant for an unrelated armed robbery case.
Victor Manuel Espinoza, 60, was arrested last week after officers discovered more than 65 roosters on his Phoenix property near 7th Avenue and West Buckeye Road. Five of the birds were already dead, and the remaining 60 had to be euthanized on site due to their injuries and aggressive behavior, according to officials.
“They realized that there were over 60 fighting birds on the property, some of them with very severe injuries,” said Tracey Miller, director of field operations with the Arizona Humane Society, which assisted in the investigation…