Dog stuck in steel trap for 3 weeks
Mc Cormick, SC (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Mar 1, 2012
County: Edgefield

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Orion Gilchrist

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

63 Year-Old Orion Gilchrist was arrested after he called police to help him get a trap off of his dog's foot. It was a steel trap, which he tells Edgefield Animal Control Officers was clamped to his dog's leg for three weeks, and would respond when officers asked him why he didn't call sooner.

To help the wounded animal, officers tried to restrain the black lab mix by putting it on a leash, but the dog wouldn't have it. It struggled, and it was then police say the dog's foot fell off with the trap.

Officers took the dog to the Aiken County Animal Shelter where it was later euthanized. Gilchrist, now faces charges.

An Edgefield County judge tells us the man was issued a ticket, for ill treatment of animals, which is a misdemeanor, not a felony, and that he was booked in jail and later released on a 500 dollar bond. He'll face court later this month.

Some animal rights activists say they wonder why it seems he's getting away with just a slap on the wrist.

"I think that he should serve some jail time, I don't think a slap on the wrist is going to teach this man anything. I think that he needs to be put away and treated by an animal," said animal lover, Loree Simmons.

South Carolina law states: "Whoever tortures, torments, needlessly mutilates, cruelly kills, or inflicts excessive or repeated unnecessary pain or suffering upon any animal or by omission or commission causes the acts to be done for any of the offenses is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be punished by imprisonment of not less than one hundred eighty days and not to exceed five years and by a fine of five thousand dollars."

Even if Gilchrist is convicted of the misdemeanor he faces, he may not serve jail time at all.

"The poor innocent dog that laid there like that for two weeks or longer," Simmons said.

We contacted the Edgefield County Sheriff's Office to ask why Gilchrist faces a misdemeanor charge, we are still waiting for them to return our calls.

Case Updates

References

« SC State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Edgefield County, SC

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