BARTOW, Fla. -- A central Florida man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for running a dogfighting ring.
Circuit Judge Wayne Durden sentenced 48-year-old Hewitt Grant II on Thursday. He was previously convicted of 84 counts of animal cruelty.
Authorities found 69 scarred and wounded dogs at a bar and at Grant's home in Polk County in October 2014.
The Lakeland Ledger reports that Grant was previously found guilty in 2007 of 80 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. But those charges were dropped after an appeals court found that investigators had conducted an illegal search of Grant's property.
Besides prison time for the current conviction, Grant can no longer own any animals.
