Three members of a Sevier County family are now facing additional charges for operating a dog fighting operation.
Mark Heatherly, 47, of Sevierville, was arrested and charged last month with two counts of dog fighting. His wife, Kimberly Heatherly, 45, and son, Jacob R. Heatherly, were charged with conspiracy to commit dog fighting. All three were also charged with possession of marijuana and hydrocodone.
Now, a grand jury has charged each of them with 50 counts of dog fighting and three counts of animal cruelty.
Mark Heatherly was still in jail on the original charges. His wife and son were arrested on the new charges on Friday.
The dogs, which were described by the sheriff's department as pit bulls, were all rescued by the Humane Society of the United States. At a hearing Thursday, Mark Heatherly surrendered the dogs to authorities. It will be up to the animal advocates to determine what happens to the dogs.
The 50 dogs that were seized range in age from 4 weeks to mid-teens. Some of them had scars that were consistent with dog fighting.
The Humane Society of the United States will work with a national network of placement partners to find appropriate homes for the dogs, though it is their policy to place dogs outside of the state where they were seized.
Until that time, they will continue to care for the dogs in an undisclosed shelter location.
