Second man charged in cockfight

A second man faces criminal charges in connection with a cockfight discovered by St. Paul police at a duplex in April.

Chor Yang, 32, of St. Paul, was charged last week by the St. Paul city attorney's office with attending an animal fight, a misdemeanor.

Pha Xiong, 39, who lives at the duplex in the 800 block of Margaret Street, where the birds were found, was charged in May with felony animal cruelty. His next court appearance is today.

According to the complaint against Yang, officers learned that 20 people had walked into the house carrying chickens about midnight April 19.

Although the homeowner told police no one was fighting chickens there, officers found about 40 to 50 men circling a rooster-fighting ring in the basement. Everyone left when they were ordered to, except Xiong and Yang.

The homeowner's wife told police that she is usually not at home when her husband has these cockfights, the complaint said. The homeowner later told officers that they taped the birds' feet and let them fight using only their beaks.

Yang's next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 14.

PAT PHEIFER