and now DMX....

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0824dmx-dogs0825-ON.html

Dogs seized from rapper's home
Judi Villa and Cyrus Karimi
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 25, 2007 12:00 AM

Maricopa County sheriff's deputies found three dead dogs and seized 12 undernourished pit bulls Friday from the Cave Creek-area home of rapper-turned-actor DMX.

Deputies, armed with a search warrant, also found drug paraphernalia, a cache of weapons and several cars with license plates that could not be traced back to the vehicles they were on, authorities said.

DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was not at home when the raid occurred. No one has been arrested.

"We have to send a message," said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, "that we're not going to put up with animal cruelty, no matter who they are."

The dogs were seized after officials received reports about two weeks ago of "animal abuse/neglect" at the home, said Capt. Paul Chagolla of the Sheriff's Office.

"We're doing an investigation," Chagolla said. "There's a lot of work to be done here."

Chagolla could not immediately say if the seized animals had any connection to dogfighting. The blood sport has drawn national attention since NFL star Michael Vick was arrested in July on federal dogfighting charges. Vick signed a plea agreement on Thursday in Richmond, Va.

At the time of Vick's arrest, authorities said an unknown number of pit bulls bought from Arizona breeders were tied to his case.

The dogs found inside Simmons' home did not have the proper food or water, investigators said. Some of the dogs were tied up outside the house without water.

One of the three dead dogs dug up from the backyard was burned, deputies said.

Stacey Richman, a New York attorney who represents Simmons, said the rapper had hired a caretaker to care for the dogs and was not aware until Friday that the employee was only checking on them once a day.

Simmons, 37, is a part-time Valley resident.

The rapper has raised many of the animals since they were puppies and is so devoted to them that he throws them birthday parties, Richman said.

"He loves his animals," Richman said. "He is so committed to them it's ridiculous. They are members of his family."

Deputies found the three dead dogs after digging up the rapper's backyard. Richman said Simmons has owned dogs for years, so it's possible the dead dogs died naturally and were buried.

Word of the animals' conditions was "very upsetting to us," Richman said. "We cannot understand how this can possibly be when we hired someone to care for those animals."

Simmons recently was featured in a reality series on BET that tracked him from New York to his home in Arizona.

The rapper has previously been fined and ordered to make public-service announcements for the Humane Society after police found 13 pit bulls at his home in Teaneck, N.J., in 1999. Simmons pleaded guilty to animal cruelty.He has since continued to make headlines for both Valley musical performances and appearances and run-ins with the law.

In 2004, Simmons slammed his car into a gate at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after telling a parking attendant that he was a federal agent.

Later that year, he pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and driving while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. He was sentenced to conditional discharge but ended up in a New York jail in 2005 for violating those conditions.

A year later, the rapper was cited for carrying a concealed handgun outside a Scottsdale nightclub.

The search warrant served on Simmons' house Friday also resulted in the discovery of drug paraphernalia and several automatic and semi-automatic weapons. Arpaio could not immediately say how many guns were seized.

Richman said she didn't have any information about the drug paraphernalia, but she said that in Arizona it is "appropriate" to have weapons.

Meanwhile, Arpaio, an animal-rights crusader, has sent the rescued pit bulls to an air-conditioned cell at the First Avenue Jail in downtown Phoenix.

Richman said Simmons' main concern now is when he can bring his animals home.

"He's been very public about his love for his animals," Richman said. "He adores them."

 

whatever happened to him? dude put out quite a few hits.