2 get probation for dog fighting

TUCSON - An Avra Valley couple has been placed on probation for their roles in an alleged pit bull fighting ring.

A judge on Wednesday also ordered 18 months of supervised probation for Juan Rudolfo Verdin after he pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor attempted dogfighting.

Verdin, 40, also was sentenced to probation for an unrelated child abuse count involving pornography on a computer he owned.

Pima County Superior Court Judge John S. Leonardo placed Zenaida Yvonne Verdin, 36, on six months of unsupervised probation after she pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor cruelty to animals.

The raid resulted in the seizure of 150 dogs.

The Verdins were arrested along with four other people in the case. Two defendants were acquitted after a six-day bench trial while two others are scheduled for a jury trial in February.