WINNSBORO (Feb. 12, 2016) – The Fairfield County man who was arrested last month on a felony charge of Ill Treatment of Animals in the Dec. 13 dragging incident that left a 9-month old dog severely injured, faces jail time of 180 days to five years and a fine of $5,000 if convicted, Lt. Lee Haney, Animal Control Officer with the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office told The Voice on Tuesday.
Members of the Hoof and Paw Benevolent Society posted a $1,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any person(s) responsible for the dog’s injuries, and witnesses came forward in January, identifying Billy Ray Huskey of Forest Lake Circle near Mitford as the man they believed responsible for the dog being dragged.
Haney said additional charges could be brought against Huskey in connection with the injured dog as well as two other dogs that Huskey reportedly abandoned following the dragging incident.
All three dogs, along with another dog that was found dead of unknown causes the next day, were discovered off Camp Welfare Road by four women riding horses through Carolina Adventure World near White Oak at approximately 2:30 p.m., Dec. 13.
Laura Collins, one of the riders, told The Voice that the injured dog was found lying near a bush at the edge of a horse trail about 200 feet from Camp Welfare Road, a paved road that runs alongside Carolina Adventure World. The women brought the dog to Fairfield Animal Hospital in Winnsboro where it has undergone multiple surgeries. The other two dogs were picked up by Fairfield Animal Control and brought to the Fairfield Animal Hospital two days later in emaciated condition with severe mange, vet tech Susan Knight told The Voice. One of those dogs, she said, died several days later.
Knight told The Voice that the dog who suffered the dragging incident has made remarkable progress in his recovery, but is still awaiting surgery to repair a knee cap.
The incident is being investigated by Lt. Haney, and information from that investigation will be presented in Circuit Court by Assistant Solicitor Riley Maxwell of the Sixth Circuit Solicitor’s Fairfield County office. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for April 6 in the Fairfield County Magistrate’s Court.
Huskey, who was booked into the Fairfield County Detention Center, has been released on a $5,000 surety bond.