In her line of work, Bowling Green-Warren County Humane Society Director Lorri Hare has seen some stomach-turning things.

But nothing compared to the horror she felt as she watched videotapes of dogfights seized Tuesday night from the home of William Derek Saltsman, 22, of Scottsville.

“It was very bad,” she said. “… It’s amazing to me that the adult (dogs) showed no sign (of pain): They didn’t yelp, they didn’t cry. They were getting torn to pieces and they showed no emotion. They would show young ones they were training and it was horrid – the dogs were just yelping and crying.”

Hare was allowed to watch the tapes because dog fights have been discovered before in Warren County, she said, and a lot of pit bull owners here have been charged with animal cruelty over the past few years. In fact, two of the people seen on the videotape may be from Warren County, she said.

“We’ve got a lot of names in Warren County through the sheriff’s office, so we’re hoping to post some information and hoping people will come forward,” she said.

If those people are indeed Warren County residents, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office will become involved, said Major Roger Osborne. Deputy Andy McDowell, who served as an animal control officer for more than 10 years, was asked by the Allen County Sheriff’s Office to view the videotapes to see if he recognized anyone, Osborne said. McDowell was not available for comment this morning.

Saltsman was arrested Tuesday night after Allen County authorities, acting on a tip of a possible meth lab, found nine pit bulls – one was dead and others badly scarred – behind Saltsman’s Walnut Creek Road home. A search warrant was granted, and authorities said they found 2.7 grams of cocaine, 37 grams of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, nine guns, dogfighting paraphernalia and six hours’ worth of videos of dogfights. Medical supplies believed to have been illegally diverted from T.J. Samson Community Hospital in Glasgow were also found.

Saltsman was charged with trafficking in cocaine, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, first-degree animal cruelty and possession of drug paraphernalia and is being held in the Allen County Detention Center in lieu of a $25,000 bond. The dogs were seized and are currently being held at the Allen County Animal Shelter.

Saltsman appeared in front of District Court Judge Frank Wakefield on Wednesday, said Allen County Attorney Bill Hagenbuch, and was ordered to pay the county $5 per dog per day to house the pit bulls. One dog, which was kept as a house pet, was released to Saltsman’s girlfriend, Hagenbuch said.

An Allen County ordinance stipulates that any dogs seized pursuant to a criminal investigation must be kept alive until the case is closed. The seven remaining dogs will stay at the Allen County Animal Shelter until they’re returned to Saltsman or destroyed, Hagenbuch said.

A preliminary hearing for Saltsman is set for 9 a.m. Aug. 26 in front of Wakefield in Allen County District Court.

In the meantime, authorities continue searching for those involved with the dogfights. Allen County Sheriff’s Office Detective Steve Woods said Thursday the fights may have taken place in Warren County, Barren County or Simpson County.

Hare couldn’t tell from viewing the tapes where the fights were located, she said. Some were in wooded areas, while others took place in a garage setting, but there were no landmarks she recognized.

What sticks with her is the sheer cruelty of the fights, she said.

“(The owners) were proud of it,” she said. “They’d pull their dogs out of the fight and tell them how much they loved them and how great they were. They didn’t really care that their dogs were getting tore up. There were cuts so deep you could see the bone … It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”

While animal cruelty is still a misdemeanor in Kentucky, dogfighting is a felony, Hare said. She praised the Allen County Sheriff’s Office for pursuing the case and said she hopes the people in the videotapes – there were about 15 different people in the two hours she managed to watch – get what’s coming to them.

“I can stomach a lot of things, but it was something I never want to see again,” she said.