Eight pit bulls seized from a Scottsville home Tuesday night are being held at the Allen County Animal Shelter until the case involving them is closed, despite the fact the dogs are trained to fight.

The pit bulls were taken from 1748 Walnut Creek Road, the home of William Derek Saltsman, 22, when Saltsman was arrested Tuesday night, said Allen County Sheriff’s Office Detective Steve Woods.

Shelter employees are not permitted to comment while cases are pending, but Woods said the animals are causing a disturbance and fighting with each other. Woods anticipated a judge’s order Wednesday permitting the animals to be euthanized, but a county ordinance enacted a few years ago “states that if any animals are seized pursuant to criminal charges, they must be maintained by the county until the final outcome,” Woods said.

Allen County Judge-Executive Johnny Hobdy said the decision to uphold the county ordinance was made Wednesday by District Court Judge Frank Wakefield. Hobdy deferred further comment to Allen County Attorney Bill Hagenbuch, who could not be reached this morning.

The Sheriff’s Office received a tip Tuesday afternoon regarding a possible methamphetamine lab at Saltsman’s home, Woods said. When the Drug Task Force responded to the home, no one answered the door, but there were nine pit bulls in plain view in an area adjacent to the back yard, Woods said. One of them was dead, and the others were malnourished and had scarring consistent with that seen on fighting dogs, he said.

Animal Control Officer Danny Davis was called to the scene and verified the dogs were likely fighting dogs, which allowed him to obtain a search warrant for the house, Woods said. Inside the house, agents from the drug task force, Allen County Sheriff’s Office, Allen County Animal Control and Scottsville Police Department found 2.7 grams of cocaine, 37 grams of marijuana, ecstasy pills, drug paraphernalia, nine firearms, including assault weapons and handguns, dogfighting paraphernalia and videos of dogfights, Woods said.

A “considerable amount of medical supplies” believed to have been illegally diverted from T.J. Samson Community Hospital in Glasgow was also found, Woods said. The supplies had been used to treat the dogs’ wounds.

This type of activity is completely out of place on Walnut Creek Road, which at one point crosses Barren Lake, said local businessman Rick Martin. He’s owned Walnut Creek Marina, 2001 Walnut Creek Road, for about five years, he said.

“That’s a shocker to hear about that,” he said. “That don’t sound right for this neighborhood down through here. Truth is, we’re a bunch of rednecks who get our high out of a (beer) can.”

The rural road has a sprinkling of houses, he said, and as far as he knows his neighbors are “just nice country folk.”

“I’m a big-time dog lover and I hope they get what they get,” he said. “I have two dogs myself, and I think they’re two babies. I love them.”

Saltsman is being held in the Allen County Detention Center in lieu of a $25,000 cash bond on charges of trafficking in cocaine, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, first-degree animal cruelty and possession of drug paraphernalia, Woods said.

Woods reviewed the videotapes Wednesday and today, hoping to identify where the fights were taking place and who else was involved. He has determined the fights weren’t taking place in Allen County, he said.

“There is a possibility that some of it’s in Warren County and some of it’s in Barren County,” he said. “We haven’t ruled Simpson County out, either.”

Historically, dog fights usually involve some sort of drug activity, Woods said, although there isn’t any evidence of it in the videotapes. However, one video shows people talking about an exchange of $100, “so we know there’s some gambling going on,” he said.

By the time the case is through, Woods expects more charges to be levied against Saltsman, as well as whomever was responsible for the diverted medical supplies.

“This is one of those cases where you just get really pissed off when you get into it, and we’re going to do everything we can to push this as far as we can,” he said.