ROUGEMONT, N.C. – Officials busted a huge dog fighting operation in Rougemont on Monday.         

Orange County Sheriff’s deputies obtained warrants for 41-year-old Daniel Isiah Crew.         

Crew faces 40 counts of felony dog fighting and both misdemeanor and felony animal cruelty. He was already in jail in Person County on unrelated charges.

Thirty dogs were seized during the bust last month from a home off of N.C. Highway 57 in Rougemont.

“Fighting dogs for sport is a serious offense that our laws appropriately recognize as a felony. By its very nature, dog fighting involves the inhumane and cruel treatment of animals,” said Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood. “Dog fighting rarely exists in isolation; instead it is usually linked to other forms of organized crime.”

Crew, currently held in the Person County Jail, and others could face additional charges.

The dogs are now with the county's animal services.

Anyone with information related to the case should contact authorities at (919) 245-2915.