VIDALIA — Representatives from a local animal shelter requested Monday the Concordia Parish Police Jury help them determine if funds confiscated during dogfighting raids can be used to help care for the rescued dogs.

Concordia PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving) representative Dianne Watson told the jury that following a dogfighting bust by the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Ferriday Police Department the group’s Ferriday shelter took into care dogs rescued from the dogfighting ring.

Watson said she thinks approximately $2,300 cash was seized during the raid that shut down the ring. She asked if some or all of that money could be allocated to the shelter to help offset the costs incurred by the shelter to care for the dogs.

“We don’t know where that money goes, and we’re not questioning that,” she said. “We just want to know if some or all of it could be allocated to help offset the costs of veterinarian bills and neutering costs.”

Watson said Concordia PAWS has outgrown its current facility, and a significant raid such as the one that occurred in July can overwhelm the shelter’s capabilities.

Police jurors told Watson that the group would likely have to talk to the CPSO and FPD about where the funds are sent and if they could be allocated to help the shelter.

“I’ve been given the runaround,” Watson said. “I’ve been I told I needed to come here.”

Juror Jerry Beatty said he had inquired about where the funds seized go, and said he had gotten two or three different stories.

“I don’t know where it goes,” he said.

Juror Whest Shirley said the confiscation and allocation of the funds may be mandated by state law, and the answer would likely be best sought from the sheriff’s office.

Juror Joe Parker made a motion that unanimously passed for the jury to contact Concordia Parish Sheriff Kenneth Hedrick and District Attorney Brad Burget to inquire about the funds and if they could be allocated to help the shelter with the care of animals rescued during police raids.

In other news from the meeting:

4The jury reported that Concordia Parish is still under a burn ban until further notice.