Five dogs seized from Largo home deputies suspect of hosting a dog-fighting operation

LARGO, Fla. - When narcotics detectives came to arrest Michael Lang at his Largo home on 126th Terrace North, they say they found cocaine and drugs. But what was hidden behind the fence in his backyard has him in even more trouble.

"They did find five dogs. These five dogs were taken into custody by the SPCA last night and here they've returned to pick-up the evidence related to dog fighting," said Cecilia Barreda, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.

The five dogs, pit bull mixes, were packed into cramped, dirty pens with no food or water according to detectives. But their scars were the most telling.

"There's some scarring on the face, on the legs and on the chest. When in a fight that's the normal area the dogs bite and pull on each other," said Brent Bardell with Pinellas County’s SPCA.

Undercover deputies also seized dog fighting equipment like a treadmill outfitted with plywood and a hook to force dogs to run according to investigators. They also took a dog-fighting rule book and a scale into evidence.

Neighbors like Johnny Watson say they were surprised to learn about the charges Lang faces.

"Disbelief about what supposedly did happen because I never saw any evidence of what they say happened," he said.

But other neighbors say they heard dogs crying and barking at all hours of the night and suspected what was going on here was illegal.

Lang faces five counts of animal cruelty as well as gun and cocaine trafficking charges.

The dogs are being held at an undisclosed location until the SPCA can file for custody.