Friday, Oct. 6, 2000 | 11:29 a.m.
Five Mojave High School students Thursday night stepped forward to pay the price for a prank that turned mean-spirited last week, when the kidnapped Centennial High School mascot, a bulldog named Blu, was abused and nearly killed.
The students -- including some football players -- surrendered at the juvenile jail on charges including felony theft, gross misdemeanor maiming an animal, felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty and conspiracy, Metro Police Capt. Rick Bilyeu said. The students will have to answer the charges in the coming weeks in Juvenile Court.
"It may have started off as a prank, but it did get bad," Bilyeu said. "We're dealing with some kids who did something that was mean-spirited."
Blu, a 20-month-old bulldog, was taken from Tiffany Clark's back yard some time late Sept. 27 -- the night before a football game between the two Clark County schools. But what happened after Blu was kidnapped, police say, turned cruel and criminal.
The students are accused of taking Blu to Raul Elizondo Elementary School and forcing her to fight a pit bull, causing injuries to Blu that a veterinarian told police could have killed the bulldog.
More arrests are possible next week, as police believe there were more students who watched as the two dogs fought. Watching a dog fight is a misdemeanor. Police also questioned an assistant Mojave football coach about what he knew of the plan to take the dog.
Blu's owner, Tiffany Clark, was ecstatic by the news that some of those responsible were charged Thursday night.
"I'm so relieved. I feel like I lost a huge chunk off my shoulders," said the Centennial senior. "She didn't deserve this. She's not a mean dog. She's just a cute little dog."
Blu was found chained to a stake on the 50-yard line of Centennial's football field the morning of Sept. 28 wearing a Mojave T-shirt.
If the Mojave football team was supposed to be fired up over the prank, they found a Centennial team even more inspired. Centennial -- winless in four games before the Sept. 28 meeting -- pummelled the more established Mojave program 24-6. While Mojave isn't considered a football powerhouse, Centennial is only in its second year of existence.
"It turned out to be our team's inspiration," Clark said. "We killed them."
The exterior wounds are healing on Blu, but she's still going to have to sit out this week's football game. Tiffany and her mother say the little dog will be returning to the sidelines next week.
"Blu has perked back up. She walked around and was very cheerful," said Tiffany's mother, Sue Clark. "She went to the school and saw all of her friends. She was pretty happy to be there."
Mojave's head football coach Mike Gutowski refused to comment Thursday night about the arrest of some of his players.
Centennial head football coach Greg Murphy said his players and the rest of the school were disturbed by what happened to their mascot.
"They felt like they were a little violated," he said. "It might have had some motivation, but when you step out there, it's just two schools playing each other."
Reports to police -- and in Internet chat rooms -- that Blue had been sexually assaulted in some way were proved to be just rumors, Bilyeu said.
Bilyeu also said food and water was within reach of the dog when she was chained to a stake on the football field, not out of reach as some have said.
Sue Clark said she hopes the arrests will serve as a deterrent to other kids not to abuse animals.
"This case is public enough that maybe little Johnny looking at the cat next door with a BB gun will decide not to shoot," she said.
The Clarks don't blame all Mojave students for what happened to Blu, just the small group of teens who came into their yard, took the pooch and watched the dog fight. The were happy about the way the community came together with information for the police and sympathy for Blu.
"We've received so many get-well cards and presents for Blu and a lot of money was donated to the Ark Animal Clinic that some other animals are going to be able to receive care they might not have gotten," Sue Clark said. "Valleywide, the student body of Clark County had come together in support of Blu."
Sun reporter Spencer Patterson contributed to this report.
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