Sheriff Reynolds Responds to AC Incident

I would like to address an article that was recently published regarding an Animal Control incident that occurred nearly a year ago. Despite the article’s claim, the Laurens County Sheriff's Office has no record of being contacted by the media outlet prior to the article being published. I was never personally contacted about the events of the incident and was never given the opportunity to respond to any accusations prior to the article being published.

On December 17, 2022, Animal Control officers responded to a call regarding a group of four dogs within the city of Laurens. The video footage provided to the media outlet was from the Laurens Police Department’s dash and body cameras of their responding officers to the scene of the incident. What was not reported in the article was the fact that these dogs were known to have put several citizens in harm’s way and had previously killed multiple pets of citizens within the area. The call for help was made by an elderly citizen who was afraid to exit her home due to the known nature and actions of these dogs. Deputies responded and took measures to protect the safety of our citizens by shooting one of the dogs.

These circumstances are extremely unfortunate. These animals should never have been left to roam the streets by their owners. Being left to scavenge and roam, they became a hazard and risk to the community. As much as I love animals and as hard as this office has worked to rescue animals in need and arrest those at fault for the cruel treatment and abandonment of animals, I never want to see a situation such as this one. Unfortunately, when an animal becomes a risk to others, we are left with few options.

 Animal Control officers had previously attempted several measures to capture these dogs on multiple occasions to prevent further threats to the community. Unfortunately, they were not successful. While it is our desire and intent to help every animal survive and find a good home, our resources are very limited, and unfortunately, we are unable to help every animal find that home.

Portions of videos do not tell an entire story or give you the entire picture. It is unfortunate that this article was published without our having an opportunity to give all the facts. It is unfortunate that our officers, who work hard every day to protect and serve, have been singled out as villains. It is terribly unfortunate that we don’t have the resources to take in every stray animal within the 700 square miles of Laurens County and provide them with the food and care they need. It is extremely unfortunate that all the work that we have done to address animal cruelty within this county is being tainted by a story and a video that fails to give the full context and narrative of the situation.

This office is dedicated to protecting and serving the citizens of Laurens County and we will continue to do that each day to the best of our ability.  We appreciate all the support we receive in these efforts.

Sheriff Don Reynolds