Man sentenced in Kansas dog-fighting case

Albright originally was charged with 10 counts of dogfighting, three counts of possession of dogfighting paraphernalia and one count of animal cruelty after 45 dogs were removed from his home in August of 2018.

According to the ASPCA who rescued the dogs, the majority of the animals were given medical treatment and placed with their Response Partners network.

"The ASPCA also provided ongoing medical and behavioral care for the dogs – including an additional nine puppies born in our care – until disposition was determined, at which point the majority of the dogs were placed with our network of Response Partners across the country where they were made available for adoption," said Alyssa Fleck with the association. "Many of these dogs are already living in new, loving homes."

While the majority of dogs were able to be rehomed, some were unfortunately too aggressive.

Each dog from this case was individually evaluated by animal behavior professionals so we could determine the most appropriate and humane course of action," Fleck said. "Unfortunately, some dogs exhibited highly aggressive behavior and humane euthanasia was an unfortunate but necessary step to safeguard the public and end the suffering of these animals."

Following a plea deal, Albright’s charges were reduced to six felony counts of dogfighting and one misdemeanor for possession of marijuana, with a recommendation of 65 months.

During the sentencing, Albright’s attorney, Carl Cornwell, spoke well of his client.

“I’ve spent some time with Mr. Albright and he has a good attitude,” Cornwell said, adding that he believed the man would be a better person following his time served.

Judge John Weingart asked Albright about his situation, including education level, age and number of children. Albright told the judge that he had three children, two 2-year-olds and a 1-year-old, by three different women. The judge joked that that must make Thanksgiving complicated.

Albright told the judge, “I take full responsibility of my actions,” and claimed he would work to be a better person while in prison.

Ultimately, the judge went with the recommended sentence, giving Albright 65 months for his misdemeanor charge, and six months each on the dogfighting charges. The seven charges will be served concurrently, allowing Albright to serve a minimum of 55.25 months if he were to receive time off with good behavior.

Following the hearing, Albright was taken into custody and was allowed to speak with and hug his family before being escorted away from the courthouse. The man could be seen smiling, laughing and waving as he was taken away.