Man arrested after officers visit property

ATLANTA --- A 31-year-old man charged with dog fighting and animal cruelty was denied bond as police investigate an alleged dogfighting ring in his Atlanta neighborhood.

Ossia M. Phillips was arrested late Friday after police, acting on a tip, searched his southwest Atlanta home and found 15 live dogs, the carcasses of several dead dogs and a device in the woods where they believe the pit bulls fought.

Atlanta police spokesman Officer James Polite said some of the dogs had scars, scratches and wounds and appeared to have been in "altercations." He said more charges could be filed.

Mr. Phillips' attorney, Parag Shah, argued that prosecutors had no evidence the home was owned by his client.

The dogs included two pit bull puppies found in cages in a bedroom of the home, which had no heat or electricity. The animals have been handed over to Fulton County animal control officers.

The southwest Atlanta neighborhood where Mr. Phillips was arrested is a mix of new and older homes, dotted with a few boarded-up and abandoned buildings.

Neighbors and children gathered as police scoured the building, a dilapidated single-story home with a rusty trailer in the yard.