Two South Jersey men accused of running a dog-fighting ring

Two South Jersey men took part in a multi-state dog-fighting ring and posted videos including footage of live fights and the killing of dogs on a messaging platform, authorities said Monday.

Tommy J. Watson, 43, of Clayton, and Johnnie Lee Nelson, 34, of Bridgeton, were charged with possessing and training a dog for dog-fighting ventures from August 2017 to March 2019, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger and U.S. Assistant Attorney General Todd S. Kim said in a statement.

Watson was also charged with engaging two pit bull-type dogs in dog fights in December 2018 and with one count of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.

Watson surrendered Monday and was scheduled for a hearing, while Nelson was arrested Dec. 5 and appeared before a United States Magistrate judge, the statement said.

The two, along with others, raised, trained, and transported pit bulls in order to have the dogs fight, authorities said. The dog-fighting ring, dubbed “From Da Bottom Kennels,” would post bloodline information of dogs owned by the kennel on a dog fighting website “Peds online” and would also post on the “DMV Board,” a Telegram-based online dog-fighting collective, authorities said.

On the DMV Board, Watson and others would stream live videos of dog fights, training videos, and even the killing of dogs they deemed to have underperformed, in some cases by hanging the dogs, authorities said.

Law enforcement officials were able to stop what they said was a planned dog fight on March 23, 2019, authorities said. Watson and Nelson, they said, had taken a dog named Rambo to a location in Upper Deerfield Township for the fight. They had makeshift veterinary equipment with them, including a skin stapler, authorities said.

Law enforcement officials also found two other dogs that had already fought hidden in a car, authorities said.