Video by Rob Schmidt

A physical education teacher at a state school in St. Joseph was arrested Wednesday as part of what Humane Society of Missouri officials describe as the largest dogfighting raid in U.S. history.

A federal indictment was unsealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, charging seven individuals in Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa — including one from St. Joseph and another from Harrison County — with being involved in a conspiracy to use pit bulls in the bloody sport.

“Dogfighting inflicts serious injuries and death upon dogs that are bred and trained to be dangerously aggressive,” said Matt J. Whitworth, acting U.S. attorney. “Like many dog owners, I am appalled that such a cruel and inhumane activity occurs in our state.”

The president of Missouri’s Humane Society alleges it’s a common activity.

“Dogfighting is happening in every community in our state,” said Kathy Warnick, society president, “right under our noses.”

A grand jury charged Rick P. Hihath, 55, of St. Joseph, with conspiracy and two additional charges of sponsoring an animal in a fighting venture. If convicted, the physical education teacher at the Helen Davis State School faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each charge.

Mr. Hihath moved from the Oregon, Mo., area — where he still owns property — to St. Joseph. He moved here about three years ago, said Chris Stocking, a neighbor of the dog breeder. In addition to teaching physical education, Mr. Hihath also advertised his services as a painter.

“But it seemed like he dealt more with horses than the dogs,” Mr. Stocking said. Neighbors who live nearby never heard anything unusual that would have suggested any kind of fighting, he added.

The federal indictment alleges three particular dogfights earlier this year occurred on a farm near Gilman City, Mo.

A Gilman City man, Cris (also known as Chris) E. Bottcher, 48, has been charged by the grand jury with the same three crimes.

Both men appeared Wednesday before a federal judge in Kansas City. They remain in custody, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office has asked that they be held without bond because of prior records, said spokesman Don Ledford.

Julio Reyes, 28, of Tecumseh, Neb.; Jill D. Makstaller, 43, of Perry, Iowa; Zachary R. Connelly, 32, of Ogden, Iowa; Ryan J. Tasler, 42, of Woodward, Iowa; and Kevin P. Tasler, 51, of Jefferson, Iowa; are charged with conspiracy and one count of buying, selling, delivering or transporting animals for participation in an animal fighting venture.

If convicted, they each face the same maximum sentence on each charge as Mr. Hihath.

Additional indictments were unsealed Wednesday in St. Louis and Texas that charged 19 people in Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas with dogfighting.

The Western District indictment was sealed by a federal judge on June 23 until after the mutli-jurisdictional raid that began simultaneously at 6 a.m. Wednesday.

Two FBI agents, three Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers, three U.S. Department of Agriculture agents and a number of individuals from the Humane Society raided Mr. Hihath’s residence at 20932 Andrew County Road 386, south of Missouri Highway K. It was seven hours later before officers departed the residence with evidence stowed in a rental truck.

Agents for the Humane Society of Missouri took seven pit bulls and five English bulldogs from the residence. The society seized 41 additional dogs in several other locations based on the Western Missouri indictment. In addition, other dogs were seized in Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas.

In total, more than 400 dogs — primarily pit bull terriers — were seized, Mr. Ledford said.

The indictment alleges that from Jan. 15 to May 8, each of the seven defendants participated in a conspiracy to travel across state lines to sponsor dogs in fights and to aid in illegal gambling and bookmaking activities. The indictment cites three dogfights allegedly held at Mr. Bottcher’s farm near Gilman City.

Officials say the defendants acquired, bred and trained pit bulls to enter them in fights and denied medical treatment of wounds and injuries suffered as a result of the fights. The defendants routinely destroyed dogs that became severely injured, the indictment says, by shooting them in the head, then throwing the carcasses into the river or burning them in a barrel.

Mr. Hihath wrote a letter to the News-Press in 1998 alleging he knows about 50 men who fight roosters, including some close friends. He said the men are “good, old-fashioned American people.”

The Humane Society will shelter the seized animals. All will receive a complete veterinary examination. The dogs will be cared for until final disposition by a federal court.

Marshall White can be reached at marshall@npgco.com.