Animal cruelty, drug charges for DMX?

Following a raid of his Arizona home, authorities investigate rapper's possible ties to dogfighting.

In a perfect storm of bad timing, DMX's Arizona home was raided Friday morning, and the rapper could face possible charges after police said they found a dozen neglected pit bulls, the charred remains of at least one, suspected drugs, and a weapons cache.

In the midst of the controversy over NFL star Michael Vick's guilty plea on dogfighting charges, the Maricopa County sheriff's office raided DMX's home in Cave Creek, Arizona on Friday following a complaint that dogs were being kept at the home in inhumane conditions. DMX--real name Earl Simmons--was not at the home at the time of the raid.

Sheriff's officials said they found the charred remains of at least one dog in the backyard, and the sheriff's department will be investigating the rapper's possible involvement in illegal dogfighting, according to the Arizona Republic. Police continue to explore the grounds around DMX's home for more dog remains.

Law enforcement officials are determining whether DMX had permits for the cache of assault-type weapons he had on the property and are also investigating a half-pound of suspected cocaine or methamphetamine found on the property.

DMX has long had an association with pit bulls and dogfighting, having named his last three albums Grand Champ, Year of the Dog...Again, and The Definition of X: The Pick of the Litter.

In 2002, he pleaded guilty in New Jersey to charges of animal cruelty, stemming from a 1998 raid of his home there. Police claimed he had neglected 13 pit bulls. He eventually plea-bargained down to fines, probation, and community service.

DMX's attorney Stacy Richman told that Arizona Republic that the rapper hasn't been at the home for two months and had left the dogs with a caretaker. The alleged conditions were "...very upsetting to us. We cannot understand how this can possibly be when we hired someone to care for those animals."