The Columbia County prosecutor’s office this week formally charged a Magnolia man for aggravated cruelty to animals stemming from a domestic search two months ago that revealed a host of under-fed pit bulls and training supplies that, police say, were used for dogfighting.
Eddie Dean McBride, 47, was taken into custody Aug. 23 after 12 agents of the Magnolia Police Department and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office obtained a federal search warrant for his 61 Columbia Rd. 288 residence.
When officers arrived at the address, according to an MPD probable cause affidavit filed Oct. 8, McBride met the officers at the door.
The warrant, the document said, was for delivery of methamphetamine.
McBride was placed under arrest without incident, according to the police statement.
The search of the home also revealed a Remington .22 caliber rifle and mistreated pit bulls as well as “numerous items of evidence,” contraptions and performance-enhancing drugs, including equine steroids, believed to be used to prepare the dogs for fighting.
Items found, according the court records, included: Four malnourished pit bull dogs with marks, cuts, and scars on them heavy, weighted chains; two treadmills rigged to train dogs for fighting -- one that contained wood sides built onto it, along with a weighted dog leash anchored to the floor to make sure the dog was bound to device; a large digital scale hanging on the closet door next to the treadmill; large weighted chains that were dragged by the dogs, along with weighted collars; and horse steroids in the refrigerator and syringes in multiple locations around the home, including in the room with the treadmill.
Police also took photos of the animals and the items listed in the affidavit. The dogs were removed from the property by Magnolia Animal Control Officer Mike Staggs.
McBride is currently held at the Columbia County Detention Center on a $150,000 bond, according to inmate records. He was formally charged Tuesday with delivery of methamphetamine (2-10 grams), aggravated cruelty to a dog, cat, or horse, and possession of a firearm by certain persons.
McBride, if convicted, could face up to 15 years in prison for the combined felony counts.