By COREY NOLES
Statesman Staff Writer
Only one day after Jamie Sifford was sentenced to six years in prison on dogfighting charges, new charges have been filed against Curtis Pickering.
Pickering, 29 of South Fulton, Tenn., will face the same charges that were dropped in June; three counts of the class D felony of dogfighting.
A warrant was issued Thursday for his arrest listing a $250,000 cash-only bond.
Welborn said in a previous interview that he dismissed the charges because Pickering was going to go to trial before Sifford and he said it needed to be the other way around.
Sifford and his cousin, Jessey Short, were also arrested in the bust.
All three of the men bonded out of jail earlier this year.
Pickering faces more charges upon his return to Tenn. resulting from a raid on his South Fulton property.
Investigators reportedly recovered videos at both residences of at least one of the dogs found involved in fighting. A video reportedly found in the glove compartment of Pickering's SUV showed dogfights at his Tennessee home with his girlfriend and several family members present.
The day after Pickering's arrest, authorities at the Stoddard County Jail heard a phone recording of him calling home and asking his mother, Judy Pickering, and his girlfriend, Ashley Donaldson, to hide dogs and evidence for him. Both were charged in October with being accessories to dogfighting.
Orvil Pickering, Curtis Pickering's father, faces one count of dogfighting because the tape found in Stoddard County showed him participating in the fights. Curtis Pickering also faces a charge of dogfighting in Tennessee.
Short has a case review scheduled for July 21.
Earlier this year, Sifford relinquished custody of the dogs seized in the raid to the Missouri Humane Society.
The dogs have since undergone various medical treatments and temperament testing to determine whether the dogs were fit for adoption. The puppies and beagle are now available for adoption to the public through a special adoption process. The adult pit bulls are available for possible placement with qualified rescue groups. Adopters and rescue groups interested in these dogs should call 314-805-5712 as soon as possible.