WINNSBORO – A Winnsboro man was jailed after a pit bull he owned was found in a starving condition and with sores, chained behind a residence the man had moved out of.
Shawn Wilson, 51, was arrested after officers were tipped off about a malnourished dog on a property he owned. When Officers escorted animal control officers to a residence on Dunn Street in Winnsboro on May 4, they noticed two healthy pit bulls freely roaming the fenced-in yard.
Wilson
When the officers walked behind the residence, they observed a brown pit bull chained up and in a condition they reported as extremely emaciated with mange and open sores from flea/tick infestation. While they reported that the dog had shelter and water, his food dish contained dried leaves and stems.
When asked about the malnourished dog, the tenant said it was owned by the landlord (Wilson), who left the dog on the property but had not checked on it in a while. The tenant said he had been feeding the dog.
After a phone call from the officers, Wilson agreed to let them take the pit bull, the report stated. Animal Control took the dog to a veterinarian who, after examining the dog, forwarded his findings to the Sheriff’s department on May 9.
The veterinarian reported that the dog was extremely malnourished with longstanding ear and eye infections. The findings stated that it was the veterinarian’s belief that this was a clear case of neglect.
Wilson was arrested on May 11 and taken to the Fairfield County Detention Center. He was released on a $5,000 bond.