Case Details


Case Snapshot
Case ID: 15004
Classification: Throwing
Animal: dog (non pit-bull)
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Case #15004 Rating: 2.8 out of 5



Adopted puppy thrown against floor, killed
Hilton Head Island, SC (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Dec 6, 2008
County: Beaufort

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Alexander M. Gregor

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

A Hilton Head Island man faces four charges of animal cruelty after Beaufort County sheriff's deputies dug up the carcasses of two dogs he adopted and allegedly tortured to death.

Alexander M. Gregor, 22, of 10 Brittany Place, Hilton Head, remained in the county jail Monday on a $35,242 bond.

The alleged abuse was uncovered Wednesday when Gregor was arrested on a criminal domestic violence charge. His 28-year-old live-in girlfriend had reported an assault that took place Nov. 22.

On that day, the woman arrived home after work to find him beating their white German shepherd, "Jake," which had been adopted from the Hilton Head Humane Association, according to the Sheriff's Office. When she tried to stop him, he allegedly hit her in the face and bit her several times.

She ran away and hid in a bathroom, while Gregor shot the dog several times in the head with a pellet gun, authorities said. He then held the dog's head underwater in the couple's bath tub until it died.

Following Jake's death, Gregor adopted a German shepherd-mix puppy, named Tag, from the Jasper Animal Rescue Mission in Ridgeland, which holds adoption fairs at a pet supply store in greater Bluffton.

On Dec. 6., Gregor allegedly threw the dog against the floor until it died, according to the arrest warrant.

Acting on information provided by his girlfriend, deputies uncovered the remains of both dogs Friday. Tag was found buried in a wooded area near Gateway Drive on the north end of Hilton Head. Jake was found buried in a wooded area off New Riverside Drive in Bluffton. He was identified by a microchip implanted in him by the Hilton Head Humane Association.

A preliminary evaluation by the humane association uncovered evidence that both dogs had been severely abused, the Sheriff's Office said. An X-ray of Jake's head showed numerous metal pellets lodged in his skull. The remains of both dogs were sent to Charleston for further forensic analysis.

Gregor also is accused of beating his girlfriend's adult Husky mix, called Paddy, on Oct. 13 and Nov. 5.

On Oct. 13, he allegedly sprayed men's cologne into Paddy's eyes, causing them to swell shut, according to arrest warrants. On Nov. 5, he is accused of beating the dog, slamming it to the floor and holding its head underwater.

Local animal rescue groups described the cruelty as "horrific" and are urging the maximum penalty.

Currently, Gregor faces four misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, according to arrest warrants. The charges carry up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Those charges will be upgraded to felony animal cruelty, which carries up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, authorities said.

"There's no doubt about it," said Sheriff P.J. Tanner, "Rest assured, those charges will be upgraded."

Solicitor Duffie Stone confirmed the case will be presented to the grand jury in January as felonies.

Tanner suggested three motives in the torture. "One is that he was using the killing of the two dogs and the beating of the third dog to control his girlfriend," Tanner said. "Two is that he's just mean. And three, based on the first two motives coupled with what he did, this guy's got some serious problems.

"I'll be honest with you, that's someone who needs psychiatric help."

Most animal cruelty cases in Beaufort County have been incidents of neglect rather than malice as is alleged against Gregor.


Case Updates

A 23-year-old Hilton Head man accused of torturing and killing two adopted dogs then burying the bodies pleaded guilty Tuesday to four felony counts of animal cruelty, the 14th Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office said.

Alexander Greger was sentenced up to the maximum of five years, ordered to undergo anger-management classes and submit to random drug and alcohol screenings. He also cannot adopt an animal in the state again, the Beaufort County Circuit Court log said.

Greger was sentenced under the state's Youthful Offender Act, a rehabilitation program for offenders between the ages of 17 and 24, and the amount of time he serves will depend upon his behavior while in prison, Solicitor Duffie Stone said.

Greger's 28-year-old, live-in girlfriend turned him in after she returned to their Brittany Place home Nov. 22 and found him beating their white German shepherd "Jake," a Beaufort County Sheriff's Office report said.

The woman told deputies when she tried to stop him, Greger punched her in the face and bit her several times, the report said. As she escaped to their bathroom, Greger shot the dog several times in the head with a pellet gun, the report said. He then drowned the dog in the couple's bathtub, the report said.

A few days later, Greger adopted a German shepherd-mix puppy named Tag from the Jasper Animal Rescue Mission in Ridgeland. On Dec. 6, Greger reportedly threw the dog against the floor until it died, the report said.

He buried both animals, but it is unclear when.

Deputies later found Tag in a wooded area near Gateway Drive on the north end of the island and Jake in a wooded area off New Riverside Drive in Bluffton.

Greger also was accused of beating his girlfriend's adult husky mix, called Paddy, spraying cologne in its eyes, slamming the dog on the floor and holding its head under water, the report said.

Members from several animal groups, including the Hilton Head Humane Association and the Jasper rescue where the dogs were adopted, attended Greger's plea hearing.

"What this man did cannot be tolerated," said Frannie Gerthoffer, executive director of the Humane Association. "I think the judge sent a strong message with the sentence that this kind of behavior is unacceptable."

Gerthoffer said she hopes the sentence will deter some from abusing animals.

Greger has been held on a $35,242 bond at the Beaufort County Detention Center since his Dec. 13 arrest, the jail log said. He will not get credit for time served, Stone said.

He still faces a charge of criminal domestic violence for allegedly hitting his girlfriend when she tried to stop him from abusing the dog, Stone said.

No court date has been set in that case.
Source: Island Packet - May 27, 2009
Update posted on May 28, 2009 - 12:50AM 

References

  • « SC State Animal Cruelty Map
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