Several charges dropped & bonds set in Savannah dogfighting and drug case

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Three men accused of dogfighting and drug trafficking in Savannah faced a judge for the first time this week.

This follows a raid at two houses in late August.

On Wednesday, an hours-long probable cause hearing led to most charges being dropped for one suspect, and bond decisions were made for the others.

Investigators say they conducted undercover surveillance for over a month, gathering evidence for a search warrant at these two homes on Central Avenue.

Defense attorneys argued there wasn’t enough evidence for deputies to get a search warrant in the first place.

“We began to believe that not only were there dogs there, the dogs were being bred there and trained there, that there was also the sale of narcotics occurring,” said the Investigator testifying.

When the raids happened on August 21st, investigators seized 13 dogs, more than 300 fentanyl pills, meth, pounds of marijuana, cocaine, 24 flip phones, multiple guns, and thousands of dollars vacuum-sealed and buried near kennels.

They also reported finding dogfighting, and dogbreeding equipment and genealogy records marked with slang tied to fighting and ‘wins’.

“Every single one of the dogs had various signs of neglect or cruelty,” said the Investigator on the stand.

However, the testimony only revealed that one dog had facial injuries. Attorneys argued it’s not clear when the dog’s injuries actually happened though.

42-year-old Michael Scott, 53-year-old Rafael Bowens, and his son 26 year 26-year-old Tyleek Collins, all appeared virtually with their attorneys on Wednesday.

Each faced charges related to animal cruelty, drugs, and guns.

Investigators testified that many of the dogs lacked food, water, or shelter when they arrived at the two homes. Four dogs were on one property, and nine were at the other home.

Records show Scott has a history of 64 animal control violations dating back to 2007.

Investigators say Scott, who’s listed as the owner of both homes, is accused of logging onto a sports betting website that investigators believe is a cover website used to bet on dogfighting.

The investigator testified that you have to have a referral from an existing member, and Scott already had his login plugged into the site-- and they saw that during their search warrant to the homes.

Out of the 13 dogs, 1 was a German Shepherd who attorneys say was the ‘family pet’.

In court, Scott had one of his 13 animal cruelty charges dropped, but he remains in jail without bond.

Bowens had his dogfighting charges dismissed for lack of probable cause. He will be granted bond once placed in an alcohol rehabilitation facility with an ankle monitor.

As for Collins, the judge dismissed all of his dog-related charges and reduced his drug charges to a misdemeanor marijuana offense. The judge says there wasn’t enough probable cause linking him to the dogs, or the two homes even.

Attorneys argued that Collins only stayed with his dad, Bowens, from time to time.

Collins was granted a bond set at $3,500, with conditions – including leaving Chatham County.

All three men could be indicted on new charges in this case.

Deputies are still looking for one other suspect in connection with this case, Malik Anderson.

A photo of Anderson was not immediately available.