WINNSBORO – A Winnsboro woman has been charged with Cruelty Towards Animals after one of her dogs was found dead in the street from unknown causes.
Eileen Crim was arrested on Monday, July 8, after one of her dogs was reported laying on its back, dead, in the roadway in the Liberty Street area of Winnsboro, according to a report filed with the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety.
The complainant stated that he observed a pit bull dog stiff and his “belly had busted open,” the report stated.
WDPS officers speculated that the dog had been dead for several days. Officers said they heard a second dog barking from bushes by a nearby residence.
The officers called the town’s sanitation department to remove the deceased dog and the other dog was picked up by Fairfield County Animal Control.
On further investigation, officers stated in the report that neighbors said the two dogs were often left unattended without food and water and had no shelter from inclement weather. Officers stated they observed those conditions at the time of their visit to the property.
While it was reported that Crim, or a member of her family, had since come to the Fairfield County Animal Shelter to retrieve the living dog, that dog remains in the custody of animal control pending a court date, according to Bob Innes, Director of Fairfield Animal Control.
