How South Carolina's largest dogfighting ring was taken down – Charleston Post Courier

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Updated: December 28, 2022 @ 11:55 pm
A dog seized by federal and state authorities in South Carolina’s largest takedown of a dogfighting operation. Photo filed in federal court
A Rembert property that SLED has said is associated with dogfighting. SLED’s aviation unit conducted a flyover on Sept. 7, 2022, assisting a federal investigation. Photo filed in federal court.
A suspected dogfighting pit in New Zion. A special agent with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General found a break stick with what appears to be teeth marks on the floor of the pit. Photo filed in federal court
Animal remains found by a federal agent while conducting surveillance at a Rock Hill property suspected of involvement with organized dogfighting. Photo filed in federal court
Federal agents conducted surveillance on a Rock Hill property suspected of involvement in organized dogfighting. Photo filed in federal court
A dog is chained to a tree at a New Zion property believed to be associated with organized dogfighting. Photo filed in federal court
The Humane Society of the United States assists federal authorities in rescuing dogs from an alleged dogfighting operation throughout multiple properties in South Carolina. File/Meredith Lee/The Humane Society of the United States
A dog in BarkNation’s “Pitness Protection” project receives a gift. BarkNation/Provided
A photo of an alleged dogfighting pit taken by a special agent with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General on Sept. 7, 2022. Photo filed in federal court

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A dog seized by federal and state authorities in South Carolina’s largest takedown of a dogfighting operation. Photo filed in federal court
A photo of an alleged dogfighting pit taken by a special agent with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General on Sept. 7, 2022. Photo filed in federal court
EASTOVER — In a secluded, wooded area about 25 miles outside Columbia, about two dozen alleged dogfighters from across the state gathered in September for the “Carolina Classic,” a secret — and illegal — tournament for the blood sport.
In the crowd, one of them was wired. Federal and state authorities were tracking his location and listening to his conversations.
In the middle of a dogfight, authorities with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State Law Enforcement Division raided the Eastover property, seizing 14 dogs and arresting at least 17 people on state charges of presence at an animal fight, a felony which carries up to five years in prison.
Several raids across the Midlands followed the next day with nearly 300 dogs seized in what the U.S. Attorney’s Office calls the “biggest takedown of a dogfighting operation in South Carolina history.”
Many dogs had severe scarring and were found isolated. They wore heavy chains staked to the ground or to trees, according to federal court documents demanding the forfeiture of the dogs. An indoor dogfighting pit had blood stains. A dog’s skull was found at another site.
Federal agents had eyes on the properties weeks before the raid, doing flyovers and other surveillance, taking note of signs of organized dogfighting before obtaining search warrants.
As authorities raided properties across the Midlands, the hundreds of dogs seized were then considered live evidence. Nonprofits stepped in, taking the dogs to confidential locations and documenting scars and injuries. Dogs are being rehabilitated to prepare them for a new home.
Months later, law enforcement is still investigating. 
A dogfight is like a boxing match, except a dogfight often ends in death, according to Terry Mills, the director of blood sports investigations for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
“The losing dog rarely — if ever — leaves the building,” Mills said.
As a former law enforcement officer who has gone undercover to investigate dogfighting in other operations, Mills has seen the fights firsthand.
A suspected dogfighting pit in New Zion. A special agent with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General found a break stick with what appears to be teeth marks on the floor of the pit. Photo filed in federal court
Money is put down several weeks before a fight, and dogs are matched by gender and weight, he said. The fighting dogs are heavily conditioned and often eat high-protein diets to prepare.
Money revolves around fights. Those on the sidelines gamble while handlers put down hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars for a fight. It’s not unusual for $40,000 to $50,000 to change hands in a single fight, Mills said, adding that the highest wager documented was half a million dollars on one fight.
But a major source of money is in breeding, Mills said. The more wins a dog has, the more expensive the puppies.
Stud fees from champion bloodlines can bring in thousands of dollars, according to Mills, and vials of semen are often sold for up to $2,000 to $2,500 each depending on the bloodline.
When a dog wins a fight, it suddenly becomes valuable and wounds are immediately treated.
The losing dog, if it survived the fight, is often killed, unless it showed “gameness,” meaning the tenacity to keep fighting.
“The No. 1 reason they fight dogs is money. Right under the money is their ego,” adding that dogs are killed, even tortured to death, out of spite or embarrassment from a loss.
As the investigation into the South Carolina dogfighting ring continues, officials with the USDA and SLED said they were unable to comment on the arrests and dog seizures.
“The investigation following September’s historic dogfighting arrests is active and ongoing,” SLED spokeswoman Renée Wunderlich said in a statement.
Animal remains found by a federal agent while conducting surveillance at a Rock Hill property suspected of involvement with organized dogfighting. Photo filed in federal court
While federal agents with the USDA led the investigation, on the state level, SLED had recently instated a dedicated special agent to investigate dogfighting in South Carolina.
Gov. Henry McMaster had advocated for the role and the General Assembly recently agreed to fund the new initiative, according to the Governor’s Office spokesman Brian Symmes.
“Having created a dogfighting task force while he was attorney general, this has been a priority of Governor McMaster’s for a long time — not only because of the abject cruelty involved in dogfighting itself, but also because these investigations often provide law enforcement with invaluable information about the criminal elements involved,” governor’s spokesman Brian Symmes said in a statement.
In an earlier statement, SLED Chief Mark Keel said dogfighting can often lead law enforcement to discover illicit drugs, firearms, human trafficking and child abuse.
Over the summer, agents from the USDA office met with two confidential informants who told them about the “Carolina Classic” and named kennels involved, according to court filings.
One source said a kennel called “Secret 6,” for the six people associated, would be hosting the show in Richland County.
During the weeks leading up to the September show, a special agent with the USDA Office of the Inspector General conducted surveillance on several properties across the Midlands, taking photos and documenting signs of organized dogfighting.
SLED’s aviation unit assisted with surveillance, flying over land in Sumter County owned by a man who, an informant claimed, was an “accredited referee for dogfighting” and member of the Secret 6 kennels going by the name “Cowboy.”
A photo taken during another aerial flyover shows dogs isolated from one another at a property in Rembert. The court filing said they were wearing chains weighing around 40 to 60 pounds, and some did not have adequate shelter.
A Rembert property that SLED has said is associated with dogfighting. SLED’s aviation unit conducted a flyover on Sept. 7, 2022, assisting a federal investigation. Photo filed in federal court.
Nearby, agents drove out to another property in Sumter County where a source said a dogfighting pit was located.
“The pit was indoors and had multiple blood splatter patterns on the walls and carpet where a dog fighting match had taken place,” according to court filings. “A mobile outdoor pit was also observed on the property.”
Surveillance done in Rock Hill found dogs in isolation from one another, wearing heavy chains staked to the ground or wrapped around trees. Animal remains were found on a property.
After the surveillance and taking photos as evidence, more than 60 federal and state agents executed more than two dozen search warrants in Richland, York, Orangeburg, Clarendon, Lee, and Sumter counties in late-September.
Officers seized 305 dogs, with 275 believed to be involved in organized dogfighting. More than 20 people were arrested during the crackdown.
Officers seized slat mills, which are like treadmills used to condition the dogs, along with scales, break sticks and trophies. They also found equipment used to staple and suture wounds as well as nutritional supplements, like “K9 Power Super Fuel,” which bulks and energizes dogs.
Federal agents conducted surveillance on a Rock Hill property suspected of involvement in organized dogfighting. Photo filed in federal court
According to federal court filings: 
A dog is chained to a tree at a New Zion property believed to be associated with organized dogfighting. Photo filed in federal court
Some dogs greeted responders with wagging tails while others were hunched over and peered reluctantly, according to the Humane Society of the United States, which stepped in to rescue the dogs alongside the Michigan-based nonprofit BarkNation.
One of the dogs found in a kennel enclosure needed its front leg amputated. An X-Ray showed the bone had split and it was protruding through the skin, according to the Humane Society. 
The dogs seized in the raids were taken to confidential locations by the nonprofits and other organizations. The nonprofit RedRover assisted with immediate care and temporary shelters for some of the dogs seized in the raids.
BarkNation, which works solely off donations to assist law enforcement in dogfighting and animal cruelty cases, rescued all 26 dogs from one property raided by USDA and SLED officers. Through its “Pitness Protection” project, the nonprofit has a confidential shelter for dogs seized by authorities in dogfighting and cruelty cases.
Since the dogs were live evidence, a forensic veterinarian screened them to make a record of the animals’ vitals and document each scar and injury, according to BarkNation director Jessica Brown. The records and photographs will be used as evidence in trial.
“Almost all of them were underweight, dehydrated and had parasites,” Brown said about the group of dogs rescued by BarkNation. 
Some had skin infections, trauma from deep bites, heartworm disease, and breeding complications.
The Humane Society of the United States assists federal authorities in rescuing dogs from an alleged dogfighting operation throughout multiple properties in South Carolina. File/Meredith Lee/The Humane Society of the United States
RedRover, which provides aid in crisis situations, set up temporary shelters for a group of about 45 of the dogs and got them into a daily routine, slowly introducing new toys and treats as the dogs adjusted to the new environment, according to the organization’s Field Services and Community Programs Manager Devon Krusko.
“These dogs did really well,” Krusko said. “You can see a change in them pretty quickly … They know when it’s mealtime, when it’s enrichment time.”
A routine and consistency helps with a dog’s anxiety, Krusko said, adding that the dogs quickly adjust to a schedule with clear times for meals, quiet time when the lights are off, and enrichment time whendogs can exercise and are introduced to new toys and treats.
A dog in BarkNation’s “Pitness Protection” project receives a gift. BarkNation/Provided
While Mills said he has doubts on whether the dogs can be rehabilitated and adopted after spending years in heavy chains and isolation, nonprofits BarkNation and RedRover said many dogs can be adopted.
For the dogs at BarkNation, 17 of the 26 dogs seized in the South Carolina raids have already been adopted or placed in foster homes.
The dog that had its leg amputated now has a new home, and a new name — Linus, after the Peanuts character. The Humane Society posted a video of Linus in a new home, showing the dog going on a walk in a neighborhood, sniffing the grass, and cuddling on the couch. 
Out of the hundreds of dogs BarkNation has cared for and rehabilitated, Brown said around 6 percent are unsuitable for homes, either because of their aggression, or because of a medical condition that cannot be treated.
“If we feel that a dog is going to harm another dog or person, we will make that decision not to place,” Brown said, adding that BarkNation will care for the dog for the remainder of the court case.
Under state law, if no adoption can be arranged after the forfeiture, or if the animal is unsuitable for adoption, then the animal will be humanely euthanized.
“Most of the dogs we get are extremely human social,” Brown said. “Some will need to be the only dog in the home, based on past traumatic events.”
Some dogs will be fearful, as they have never been in a home environment before, Brown said.
Those with BarkNation will meet with a family first to determine if the dog is a good match for them. Behaviors vary from dog to dog.
“There are lots that go on to play fetch and go on hikes,” Brown said.
Caitlin Ashworth is a crime reporter for The Post and Courier in Columbia. She spent several years in Thailand before moving to South Carolina.
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