Small Virginia town becomes epicenter in Vick dog drama

SURRY, Va. -- The centerpiece of this Virginia town challenges the definition of "stoplight" -- the lone signal blinks red on two sides, yellow on the others.

"It's a caution light," Surry County court clerk Gail Clayton explains.

These days, it's a spot featuring plenty of action.

Not far away, next to a gas station on the corner, the unmarked office of Surry County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald G. Poindexter stands in need of a coat of paint.

It also needs a bigger parking lot to accommodate media from all over following the highest-profile case of Poindexter's 12-year career.

On April 25, a search of a house owned by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick -- and inhabited by Vick's cousin, Davon Boddie -- uncovered drug paraphernalia and 66 dogs in the backyard. A search warrant affidavit said some of the dogs were in individual kennels and about 30 were tethered with "heavy logging-type chains" buried in the ground.

The chains allowed the dogs to get close to each other, but not to have contact, one of myriad findings on the property that suggested a dogfighting operation.

Others included a rape stand, used to hold non-receptive dogs in place for mating; an electric treadmill modified to be used by dogs; a "pry bar" used to open the clamped-down mouths of dogs; and a bloodied piece of carpeting the authorities believe was used in dog fights. Carpeting gives dogs traction in a plywood fighting pit.

A convoy of vehicles seized the evidence, and the dogs, on April 26. Poindexter, a part-time prosecutor whose typical cases involve bad checks or petty theft, said he was at home when he learned about the discoveries at the Vick house.

Vick, a registered dog breeder, has refused to comment directly about the case, saying his attorney "has advised me not to talk about the situation right now." Vick has claimed since the investigation started that he rarely visits the home, and he has blamed family members and others for taking advantage of his generosity.

In a county that Poindexter proudly boasts hasn't had a felony murder case in 40 years, the pace of the case has been deliberate. He hasn't allowed himself to be rushed, even as animal rights groups such as the Humane Society and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have pressured him to take action.

"I'm not driven by news deadlines," Poindexter said in a recent interview in his office. "If people on that property committed a crime, and I believe they did, it will be a crime tomorrow, it will be a crime in six months, it was a crime yesterday."

He's being extra careful because, in 2000, another local drug investigation turned into a dogfighting case when 33 pit bulls were found on a property. The case eventually was thrown out, though, because of an illegal search.