North Augusta man convicted after S.C. cockfighting bust

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - After a multi-day federal trial, a North Augusta man was convicted of participating in an animal-fighting venture, prosecutors said Friday.

Roosevelt Curry, 68, faces up to five years imprisonment when he’s sentenced later. He has a previous state court conviction for cockfighting in 2010.

At the trial, prosecutors said that on March 12, 2022, Curry and others gathered at the property of Michael Roy Limehouse in Ridgeville to participate in a cockfighting derby.

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Participants paid $400 to enter four birds into the derby, with some participants, including Curry, having multiple entries.

Once birds were weighed, organizers used software to match the birds for fights.

Participants then attached metal gaffes to their birds’ ankles.

While the cockfighting derby was taking place, the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office received a tip and responded to the scene.

Officers searched the property and found a barrel containing birds that had been killed in earlier fights that day. They also seized bird transport boxes, metal gaffes and spurs, and other items used by participants.

Seven participants, including Curry and Limehouse, were later indicted in U.S. District Court for their respective roles.

The other six defendants pleaded guilty before Curry’s trial.

U.S. District Judge Bruce H. Hendricks presided over the trial and will sentence Curry after receiving and reviewing a pre-sentence report that will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.