'More than Enough Evidence' in Animal Abuse Case

The man deputies say had more than 200 dead dogs found on his Goose Creek property and 45 living dogs seized in poor condition was allowed bond Tuesday.

A judge set Loney Garrett's bond at $21,500. As of Tuesday evening, Garrett remained at Hill-Finklea Detention Center in Moncks Corner. 

He's charged with 43 felony counts of ill treatment of animals. Each count carries a maximum of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $5,000. At a minimum, each count results in six months of jail time. If convicted on every count and made to serve the sentences back-to-back, Garrett could face up to 215 years in jail. 

The investigation was conducted by Berkeley County Animal Control, the Animal Rescue and Relief Organization and the sheriff’s office.

Berkeley County deputies arrested Garrett and searched his property Monday — uncovering a gruesome scene of dead hound dogs. Some dogs appeared to have been shot through the head, others died of unknown causes. Necropsies will likely be impossible due to the state of decomposition, Berkeley County Sheriff PIO Dan Moon said. Most are just bones. 

Animal Rescue and Relief has not responded to Patch requests to comment. The Post and Courier reported Doc Williams SPCA has not responded. Both agencies have been named by the sheriff's office as recipients of the living dogs, which were described as being in poor condition.

In a statement, Berkeley County Sheriff's Office said the seized dogs will likely survive. Initially, Moon had told reporters it was not known if the dogs would live.

As of Monday evening and with more than 200 dead dogs found, Moon said deputies would continue searching the property Tuesday, but that secondary search was not conducted. 

"There's more than enough evidence with what was found out there Monday," Moon told Patch Tuesday.

Moon said it was not likely a puppy mill or dog fighting situation, and he would not confirm if it was an animal hoarding situation.

"I don't know the man's motive, that's what we're trying to sort out," Moon said. He added: "These were hunting dogs."