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Features
Mother Disputes Claim Sons Were Fighting Dogs
Woman Going Through Dialysis Preparing For Kidney Transplant
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Thursday, the Tampa Police Department arrested two young men on charges re- lated to dog fighting. The ar- rests came about as part of an investigation pertaining to an injured dog found a week ear- lier.
However, Ms. Alicia Young, mother of Kenny Bell, 21, and 18-year-old Dar- nell Devlin denies the accusa- tion. She said both of her dogs were family pets and were not used in fighting.
Ms. Young said she wasn’t home when the dog was dropped off at her home. “I was told a man rode by and asked if they wanted the dog. They took the dog because they thought a friend wanted it. But, they later found out that the friend didn’t want it.
“That’s when Darnell walked the dog toward the rail- road track hoping it would not be able to find its way back. But, the dog followed him. Two other people got the dog and took it away,” Ms. Young said.
She further stated that po- lice showed her the video and Darnell was seen walking with the dog. But, her other son, Kenny Bell, was not in the video at all. He told them to get the dog off my property.”
Ms. Young said she thought the situation was over. But, when she got to work on Wednesday, she received a call that the police were at her home.
Ms. Young said when she arrived at her home, her son, Kenny, was in handcuffs. “They told me he wasn’t under arrest, but was being detained. They made everyone leave out of the house while they were waiting on a search warrant.
“I got home about 12 o’- clock and Kenny was in the back of a car. The search war- rant didn’t arrive until around 6:30 p.m., and they kept my son handcuffed all of that time. They didn’t arrest him until around 9 p.m.,” she said.
Ms. Young said the police tore up her house, even pulling wires out of the air condition- ing unit. “The wires were not out of the unit the day before they searched,” she said.
She further said that none of the items listed on the search warrant pertaining to dog fighting were found on her property. However, her sons were charged with 2 counts each of baiting, breeding, own- ing, or possession of an animal for fighting.
A spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said, “They were charged with having a fighting dog. The in- juries on the dogs were consis- tent with dog fighting. ... The expert said the dogs had in- juries that were consistent with injuries caused in dog fight- ing.”
She further said, “We are
MS. ALICIA YOUNG
investigating with Animal Services. This is an active crim- inal investigation ... images are not public record until discov- ery. Animal Services is leading that part of the investigation, but since it is an active criminal investigation, the same law ap- plies to public records.”
Ms. Young said the two dogs are family pets. She said the family has owned the pit bull and chow mix breed dog named “Slick” for about 5 years. They have had the pure breed white pit bull named “Ghost” for about 4 years.
Ghost is the dog that had the injury. Ms. Young said he would keep getting out so her son tightened his collar so that he couldn’t get loose and that is how he received the injury to his neck.
Ms. Young further said, “The media came to talk to me and I asked if they had seen the dogs. I was told they won’t let the media see them. If it’s what they said it is, then why won’t they let anyone see the dogs? It’s a bunch of lies, that’s what it is.”
She also said one of her neighbors has cameras around her home and the cameras would have caught any dog fight. “The police don’t’ want to hear what she has to say. They didn’t bother to talk to my neighbors.”
Nearly two weeks ago, po- lice responded to the Sulphur Springs area in reference to shots being fired. As they looked around, the officers dis- covered a dog tied to the rail- road tracks. The dog had also been shot twice, police said.
A tipster alerted police to a video tape from a camera in the area. The detectives obtained a video that showed the suspects walking the dog to the railroad tracks and running away sev- eral minutes later. An officer who works the Sulphur Springs area recognized one of the peo- ple in the video and made con- tact with that person.
A week after the dog was found, police identified Nat- wan Callaway and Bobby Hollinger, both 17, as sus- pects in the case.
Callaway was charged with aggravated animal cruelty, armed trespassing (CSX Prop- erty) and possession of a firearm. Hollinger was charged with aggravated ani- mal cruelty and trespassing (CSX Property).
DARLENE GREEN
...On list for kidney trans- plant
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Darlene Lloyd Green
was in the medical field for 33 years. Sixteen of those years were spent as a Dialysis Tech- nician. Now, as a dialysis pa- tient, she knows what it takes and how the process works.
“It’s ironic that today I would be a patient of this same process,” she recently ex- plained. “It’s not an easy pro- cedure, but my good days outweigh my bad days,” she said, “because I have strong faith in God. He didn’t bring me this far to leave me.”
Ms. Green started taking dialysis treatment July 2, 2014. “It was a very hard deci- sion to make, but God; but God had a ram in the bush.
“The month that I spent in the hospital, my daughter (Denisha Green) spent every night with me. My son (Lewis Singleton) was there giving support.”
Ms. Green said she went in the hospital for one thing and developed kidney prob- lems, which she says was caused by Lupus and high blood pressure. Her advice to others: “don’t ignore the signs; they are there for a reason.”
Ms. Green is on the trans- plant list. However, there is a process that as a recipient she
has to follow.
“God has placed some awe-
some people around me – from my family, the doctors, my church family at New Har- vest Church of Christ, friends, renal dialysis staff, and so many others have been sup- portive,” she said.
That same group of sup- porters has vowed to do what- ever is necessary to keep her spirits up and to support her throughout this journey. They planned a celebration for Ms. Green on last Saturday. Go to eventbrite.com and put Dar- lene Green in the search box for additional information.
“Faith to me is, Forsake All I Trust Him.”
Her children, Denisha Green and Lewis Singleton ‘...I thank God for the children He blessed me with’
TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3