AKRON: The leader of a dogfighting ring that was broken up in a November 2014 raid was sentenced to an additional two years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to two felony counts in Summit County Common Pleas Court.
Alvin “Butch” Banks, 57, of Cordova Avenue in Akron, must first serve two years in federal prison after pleading guilty last June to federal charges related to the investigation.
Summit County Judge Alison McCarty sentenced Banks immediately after he entered his guilty pleas to dogfighting, a fourth-degree felony, and having a weapon under a disability, a third-degree felony.
A 52-officer tactical team including the FBI, Akron police and other departments descended on his home Nov. 11, 2014, in what the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office called the largest single SWAT raid performed in Akron.
An armored personnel carrier was used to breach the home’s outer perimeter.
Inside, officers discovered what they considered one of the largest pit-bull dogfighting rings in Northeast Ohio. Forty-eight people were arrested, with ten charged in federal court with dogfighting related crimes. All 10 pleaded guilty in federal court.
Of the 38 people charged in Summit County, 37 have either pleaded guilty or were found guilty at trial. One defendant is scheduled to go on trial next month in connection with the case.