A previously convicted member of the notorious Short North Posse street gang will spend more time in federal prison after admitting to keeping pit bulls to be used in dogfighting.
Joel Brown, 38, of Columbus, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Aug. 7 to charges of possessing and training a dog for an animal fighting venture and trafficking in methamphetamine.
On May 21, U.S. District Court Judge Edmund Sargus sentenced Brown to five years and 11 months in prison.
Brown admitted he kept 11 pit bull type dogs at a house on Rhoads Avenue. Court records say Columbus Humane received a complaint in April 2024 about the dogs and went to investigate. A total of 12 dogs were found on the property, 11 of which, all adults, had injuries and scarring consistent with being used in dog fighting.
Court records say several of the dogs were found tethered outside with heavy tow chains attached to tire axels buried in the ground, which is often an indicator a dog is being used in fighting.
Additionally, court records say Columbus Humane agents found veterinary medicine and other equipment commonly found in dog fighting locations inside Brown’s home.
Humane agents looked at Brown’s social media, finding video of a dog with visible scarring running on a slat mill and postings about buying puppies from a person convicted of dog fighting, training and participation in dog fights and pedigrees of dogs involved in fighting, court records say.
Detectives executed a search warrant on Brown’s house in May 2024 that resulted in all 12 of the dogs found on the property being seized. Court records say detectives also found more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, a shotgun and more than 200 rounds of ammunition.
The 11 adult dogs were ultimately humanely euthanized because of their temperaments, court records say.
Brown had ties to Short North Posse
According to court records, Brown had been on supervised release from federal prison for less than two years when he was arrested and charged in connection with the dog fighting. In 2015, Brown received a sentence of 108 months, or nine years, in federal prison, after admitting to storing, selling and transporting cocaine as part of the Short North Posse’s drug operations.
The street gang, which operated in the Weinland Park neighborhood for decades, was dismantled in a coordinated federal prosecution.
Brown also admitted to getting guns to help protect money from drug sales and agreed to assault, torture and pistol whip a person who owed the drug ring after his drugs were seized by law enforcement, court records say.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ex-Short North Posse drug dealer sent back to prison for dog fighting
Reporting by Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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