BOSTON — A Dorchester man is accused of animal cruelty after five endangered pitbulls were rescued from a home that had equipment used for dog fighting, Boston Police said Sunday night.
Javier Ruperto, 42, was charged with operating an illegal kennel; tethering and confinement of animals, animal cruelty, training and possession of animals, possession Class D drugs with intent to distribute and assault and battery on a police officer.
Ruperto’s arrest happened after Boston detectives, Boston Animal Control and officials from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals executed a search warrant at 5 Toledo Terrace on Saturday, police said.
Inside that home, police found “a significant amount of marijuana, labels for packaging marijuana for sale, equipment used for training dogs for fighting, one high capacity magazine and several other items used in the training and breeding of dogs for the purposes of dog fighting,” police said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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