Page County man sentenced to 5 years for cockfighting and animal cruelty

On December 14, 2021, Dale Comer, Jr., 42, of Page County has been sentenced to five years in jail after he was convicted of 26 counts of felony animal fighting, 20 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, and one count of felony drug possession. Additionally, Comer has 86 years of suspended time hanging over his head after he serves his five-year sentence, has a lifetime ban on owning animals of any kind, and was ordered to pay $29,714.51 in fees. This is the largest cockfighting sentence in Virginia history and in the nation’s history. Attorney General Herring’s award-winning first-in-the-nation Animal Law Unit prosecuted the case.

Dale Comer, Jr., 42, of Page County

“Animal fighting of any kind is a heinous activity that puts innocent animals in dangerous, many times life-threatening, situations,” said Attorney General Herring. “I created my Animal Law Unit to help put a stop to animal cruelty and fighting in the Commonwealth and I am incredibly proud of their success over the past six years. I hope this strong sentence will send a message to anyone who plans to participate in cockfighting that it will not be tolerated in Virginia.”

According to evidence presented in court, Comer participated in cockfighting at his home in Page County. The Page County Sheriff’s Office made three separate visits to Comer’s home and each time they found that Comer had set up a cockfighting yard and found hens, roosters, and cockfighting paraphernalia including gaffes. On their final visit to Comer’s property, authorities also found a plastic bag with methamphetamine residue. The Sheriff’s Office confiscated 335 birds, many of which had been altered and dubbed.

Additionally, two of the animal fighting charges involved Comer allowing his children to be involved in animal fighting – even giving them birds of their own, teaching them how to train the birds, and taking them to cockfights in West Virginia and Kentucky.

This case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Attorney General Michelle Welch from Attorney General Herring’s award-winning first-in-the-nation Animal Law Unit with assistance from the Page County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the Page County Sheriff’s Office, the Stanley Police Department, the Virginia Animal Fighting Taskforce, the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office, the Shenandoah Sheriff’s Office, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, the Front Royal Police Department, the Warren County Sherriff’s Office, Page County Fire and EMS, the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office, the Fredericksburg SPCA, and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

About the Animal Law Unit
In 2015, Attorney General Herring created the nation’s first OAG Animal Law Unit to serve as a training and prosecution resource for state agencies, investigators, and Commonwealth’s Attorneys around the state dealing with matters involving animal fighting, cruelty, and welfare. Illegal animal fighting is closely tied to illegal gambling, drug, and alcohol crimes, and violence against animals has been shown to be linked to violence towards other people. To date, the unit has handled thousands of matters, including training, prosecutions, and consultations.