After ‘blood-covered pit’ is found, Lexington County man admits to dogfighting

When law enforcement officers showed up at Samuel Gray’s house in rural Lexington County in 2023, they found a large outside pit with a carpeted floor covered in blood.

Lawn chairs for spectators were set up around the 16-foot-by-15-foot pit. Officers also found 14 dogs, many with heavy collars, displaying the scars and injuries of dogfighting.

On Tuesday, Gray of Wagner Highway south of Batesburg-Leesville pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of unlawfully operating an animal fighting venture.

“Guilty,” said Gray, 53, when U.S. Judge Mary Lewis asked him how he wished to plead.

Gray, a stocky man of medium height with a shaved head, stood beside his lawyer, Benjamin Stitely, for much of the hearing.

“He’s accepted responsibility to atone for his misdoings and doing everything he can to keep his family together going forward,” Stitely said after the hearing.

A tip from a citizen in the community triggered law enforcement’s interest in the case.

Lexington County Animal Services and the county sheriff’s department went to Gray’s house in September 2023 and found the dogfighting material. They then turned it over to federal authorities, including the FBI, which investigated the case.

Cans of dog food crucial

To bring federal charges, the FBI and prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office needed an interstate connection, which in this case was provided by cans of dog food and a dog flea collar found on Gray’s property.

The dog food was manufactured in Kentucky and Missouri and a flea collar came from outside the state, according to evidence in the case.

Other trappings of dogfighting included a dog’s carcass found buried in woods behind the pit and a dog’s skull found near the pit, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariyana Gore, who assisted Assistant U.S. Attorney Elle Klein with the case.

Other evidence found at the scene was a reference book on dogfighting, pedigree papers, weight scales and a treadmill with a leash hanging over it for “apparent dog conditioning,” Gore told the judge.

Gray also had dogfighting videos on his cellphone, Gore said.

Gray is expected to be sentenced within three to six months.

He also pleaded guilty Tuesday to being a felon in unlawful possession of a gun.

He could be sentenced to up to five years on the dogfighting charges and up to 15 years on the weapon charges.

What began as a citizen complaint has resulted in a guilty plea from a previously convicted felon in this upsetting dogfighting case,” said Bryan Stirling, U.S. attorney for South Carolina, after the hearing.

“Thanks to a concerned community member and Lexington County’s responsiveness, these animals have a chance at a better future. If anyone suspects animal abuse, please contact local law enforcement and animal services.”

Earlier this year, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and Gov. Henry McMaster announced a new unit that will crack down on dogfighting in the state.

Last week, SLED with assistance from the Richland County Sheriff’s office arrested three people and seized 23 dogs including six puppies in connection with a dogfighting operation. The Humane World for Animals also assisted.