Jury trial starts for former NFL player charged in Muskogee federal court with dogfighting

The trial for a former NFL player charged with dogfighting in Broken Arrow is underway in federal court in Muskogee.

The Department of Justice says investigators removed 190 pit bull-type dogs from Leshon Johnson in October of 2024.

JURY TRIAL STARTS

Members of the jury heard from witnesses at the scene and experts who reviewed photographs of the dogs taken.

The prosecution called several witnesses on Tuesday.

A veterinarian who testified for the prosecution said the scarring on some of the dogs was consistent with dogfighting.

Johnson’s defense attorneys argued it isn’t 100 percent conclusive that the scarring on the dogs came from dogfighting and further analysis wasn’t done.

The trial will continue on Wednesday.

THE CASE

The Department of Justice believes the 190 dogs taken from Johnson is the largest number of dogs taken from one person in a federal dogfighting case.

Court documents say Johnson ran a dogfighting operation called “Mal Kant Kennels” in both Broken Arrow and Haskell.

Johnson pleaded guilty to state dogfighting charges back in 2004.

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