SC man face 29 charges after dogs found without shelter, water
Twenty-eight dogs were seized from a Richland County residence after deputies discovered the animals lacked adequate shelter with no food and water, according to an incident report.
On June 25, deputies received an anonymous tip that more than two dozen dogs were living under cruel conditions at 2805 Padgett Road in Hopkins, according to an incident report. One day later, deputies conducted a welfare check and found an array of dogs of various breeds around the property — some chained and others in broken or make-shift kennels. None with proper shelter, and the majority without food and clean water.
The property owner, Ronald Jacobs, 52, was charged with 29 felony counts of animal cruelty, according to the incident report. Dogs seized from his property were transported to multiple shelters for housing.
The State has reached out to Jacobs’s attorney listed on the Richland County court index.
Deputies first encountered a small Frenchie-type dog tied to the post of the front deck of the trailer with no access to clean water, the report said. To relieve itself from the scorching heat, the dog had dug a hole in the dirt.
To the left of the residence, deputies located another bully-type dog secured to a fence by a cable without food or water. Next to it was a dilapidated dog house that deputies deemed insufficient as shelter because it offered little shade to the animal.
In the back of the property, a large chain-link kennel was found with open sides and boards on the top, serving as a make-shift roof, the report said. Inside were multiple dogs that lacked adequate shelter and clean water.
With sunlight directly hitting the kennels, the dogs had also dug holes in the dirt to find a cooler area to rest, according to the report.
On the trailer’s back deck, deputies found another small bully-breed dog in a tiny wire crate covered with towels. Inside the crate, the dog had no water and had overturned the food bowl, which was covered in feces, the report said.
Jacob’s backyard also featured a row of wire crates with bully-breed dogs inside. Deputies said the crates all had open sides and did not provide appropriate shelter. In addition, most of the crates were littered with feces and without water.
Finally, deputies said they located a Rottweiler chained to another side of the trailer with a plastic barrel nearby, which the dog was expected to use as shelter. Like many others, the Rottweiler did not have access to water, according to the report.
According to the incident report, Jacobs intentionally inflicted abuse on his dogs by failing to provide them with suitable shelter, food and water.
Under South Carolina law, one count of intentional animal cruelty carries a penalty of 90 days in jail and a fine of $100 to $1,000 for a first offense, meaning Jacobs could face up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine between $2,900 and $29,000, if convicted on all 29 counts.
