Lamesa, Texas police arrested two men in July 2026 after finding about 45 roosters and a stockpile of cockfighting materials at two homes. The suspects, Jeffrey Martin Ortiz and Ruben Ortiz Jr., now face charges under a Texas law that makes cockfighting a state jail felony, punishable by up to two years in state jail. But a charge is only as strong as the prosecution behind it.

In cockfighting, birds are forced to fight each other until one is seriously injured or killed. These animals have no choice and no way out. The roosters seized in Lamesa faced exactly that future. We have laws to protect them. Those laws must be enforced.

Texas classifies cockfighting as a state jail felony because it recognizes both the cruelty involved and the broader criminal activity these operations attract, including illegal gambling and other conduct that harms entire communities.

The Dawson County District Attorney now has the opportunity to send a clear message: organized animal cruelty will not be tolerated in Texas. A weak sentence or plea deal tells future operators the risk is worth taking. Maximum penalties say the opposite.

Sign this petition and tell the Dawson County District Attorney to seek the strongest possible charges and sentence in this case. Forty-five roosters were seized. Let's make sure their suffering counts for something.