VIDALIA — Vidalia police arrested six people Monday after officers responding to a complaint found them fighting dogs at an Ester Street house.

Vidalia Police Chief Arthur Lewis said officers found a group of people surrounding a pen where dogs had allegedly been fighting.

“It was probably an ongoing occurrence, but we’re still working to figure that out,” Lewis said. “Several of the suspects were standing inside a dog pen holding two dogs that had just been fighting.”

The six people arrested on the charges include:

-Dale L. Brown, 39, 807 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Jonesville, on a charge of dog fighting.

-Richard N. Smith, 20, 203 Pine St., Vidalia, on charges of dog fighting and warrant for Ferriday Police Department.

-Darius A. McMorris, 18, 2 Davis St., Vidalia, on a charge of dog fighting.

-Dalicia N. Easley, 17, 505 Myrtle St., Vidalia, on charges of resisting an officer obstruction of justice and dog fighting.

-Nicole R. Brown, 17, 610 Ester St., Vidalia, on charges of dog fighting, obstruction of justice and misrepresentation during booking.

-Nicholas R. Brown, 18, 610 Ester St., Vidalia, on charges of dog fighting and obstruction of justice.

Three of the six residents also received obstruction of justice charges for not cooperating with officers during the investigation, Lewis said.

Lewis said three dogs were taken into custody by the department’s animal control officer and will remain under the supervision of the department for the immediate future.

In Louisiana, dog fighting is a felony crime that carries a penalty of fines between $1,000 to $25,000 or a prison sentence between 1 to 10 years or both.