A Gainesville man was arrested on Monday in a raid led by the Gainesville Police Department and Alachua County Animal Resources on felony charges of animal cruelty and drug trafficking. Fourteen dogs were rescued from abusive conditions, according to the arrest report.
A complaint was submitted against Christopher Thompson, 54, on Jan. 11 for keeping his dogs tethered and in kennels without food or water. According to the arrest report, he didn’t allow GPD to access his property to conduct a welfare check on the dogs at the time.
Almost a month later, on Feb. 4, Alachua County Animal Resources received a picture of one of Thompson’s dogs from a citizen, according to the arrest report. The dog was emaciated and starving in the photo, trapped in a kennel filled with its own waste.
The two incidents provided enough reason for GPD and Alachua County Animal Resources to raid Thompson’s property, a warehouse located at 516 SW First St. in downtown Gainesville, resulting in his 13-charge arrest on Monday evening.
During the raid, Thompson attempted to flee from law enforcement and was detained by a GPD SWAT team, according to the arrest report. He reportedly ignored commands to get on the ground and instead tried to run into a separate room in the warehouse. The SWAT team broke down the door to the room, arresting Thompson on the scene.
According to the arrest report, GPD found information and evidence related to dogfighting throughout Thompson’s property.
Thompson had advertised his dogs online for dogfighting and a “rape stand” was found in the warehouse. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a “rape stand” is used in dogfighting to pin down female dogs for forced breeding.
He had deprived his 14 dogs of food and water as some were found in malnourished condition, according to the arrest report.
Additionally, Thompson was in possession of 59 grams of cocaine, multiple bags of synthetic cannabinoids and three firearms. The firearms included an assault rifle, a handgun and a sawed-off shotgun, according to the arrest report.
Due to the amount of narcotics and supplies found on the property, Thompson was charged with maintaining a “drug dwelling” in addition to animal cruelty, possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of cocaine with the intent to sell.
Thompson has collected over 20 felony charges since 1989 and was convicted of nine, including assault, the possession and sale of cocaine and eluding law enforcement.
Contact Kaysheri Haffner at khaffner@alligator.org. Follow her on X @kaysheri_h.
Kaysheri Haffner is a second-year journalism major and the Criminal Justice reporter for the Alligator. When she's not on the clock, she can be found reading a book or working on a creative writing project.
