Investigators File Additional Charges in Ongoing Ill Treatment of Animals Investigation

(Walhalla, SC)-----------------------------------Investigators from the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office have filed additional charges today against a 14 year old male in an ongoing Ill Treatment of Animals Investigation. 

According to a news release issued Wednesday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Office announced that the Criminal Investigations Bureau was conducting an Ill Treatment of Animals investigation.

The news release stated that the investigation began during the early morning hours of September 18^th of this year after a Deputy assigned to the Uniform Patrol Bureau responded to an address on Whitewater Falls Road, which is north of Salem, in reference to a suspicious person call for service.  After arriving on scene, the Deputy spoke with the property owners, who stated that a person had come onto the property and killed a goat.

The person had already left the property before the Deputy arrived; however, the Deputy was able to obtain an image of the person via a property camera, which was used to identify the suspicious person as a juvenile.  The Deputy then proceeded to the juvenile’s place of residence.

After arriving on scene, the Deputy made contact with a parent of the juvenile.  The parent granted consent for the Deputy to enter the home in order to have a conversation with the juvenile, who is a 14 year old male. 

The 14 year old was detained and a Juvenile Referral Packet was created by the Deputy.  The juvenile was subsequently transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice facility in Columbia on a charge of Ill Treatment of Animals.  The juvenile remains in DJJ custody in Columbia, at this time.   

The news release also stated that since opening this investigation, the Sheriff’s Office has taken additional reports of other missing or dead animals at locations on Cannon Road and Grant Drive near Salem.  According to the news release, Investigators believed that the animal deaths were not related to animal attacks but were caused by a human. 

Yesterday, after consultations with a Judge, Investigators obtained and served a search warrant for the residence where the juvenile resides.  During the execution of the search warrant, Investigators obtained additional evidence, including the remains of dead animals on the property, which matched the descriptions of some of the animals that were reported missing in the separate investigations.     

Based upon the additional evidence obtained during the execution of the search warrant, an Investigator obtained additional Juvenile Referral Packets against the 14 year old on additional charges of Ill Treatment of Animals, Malicious Injury to Animals and Stealing Livestock in reference to the separate investigations involving Cannon Road and Grant Drive.    

Investigators are still asking for any information on these Ill Treatment of Animals investigations.  Investigators are also seeking to speak with anyone who lives in the Salem area, and have had animals that either are missing, or killed, under suspicious circumstances.  Anyone who meets this criterion can contact the Criminal Investigations Bureau of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office at 864-718-1052.  You can submit a tip to Crimestoppers, where you don’t have to give your name, at 1-844-71-CRIME, online at 71crime.com or via the free P3 app.