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Dogfighting Ring Busted: 160 dogs rescued in South Carolina, 11 suspects charged

The operation also resulted in the seizure of $69,700 in cash and 50 firearms.

Dogfighting Ring Busted: 160 dogs rescued in South Carolina, 11 suspects charged

The operation also resulted in the seizure of $69,700 in cash and 50 firearms.

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      A CONSTRUCTION WORKER IS STILL MISSING AFTER FALLING INTO THE OGEECHEE RIVER. RESCUE OPERATIONS SUSPENDED OVERNIGHT...DUE TO BAD WEATHER. OUR KYRON NEVEAUX IS LIVE AT THE SCENE IN BRYAN COUNTY WITH THE LATEST ON THOSE SEARCH EFFORTS. AND HALF A DOZEN PEOPLE ARE DISPLACED AFTER A FIRE BREAKS OUT AT AN APARTMENT COMPLEX IN CHATHAM COUNTY. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THOSE RESIDENTS NOW...ACCORDING TO FIRE OFFICIALS. "WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE THE FABRIC OF OUR COUNTRY. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RESET THE TABLE ON TRADE." AND THE GLOBAL TRADE WAR CONTINUES... WITH PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAYING HE WILL NOT BACK DOWN. WHY HE'S NOW ALSO THREATENING CHINA...WITH EVEN *MORE TARIFFS. I-16 AT ABERCORN THANKS FOR STARTING YOUR DAY WITH WJCL 22 NEWS. GOOD MORNING -- I'M EMMA HAMILTON. AND I'M FRANK SULKOWSKI. METEOROLOGIST CATHERINE LIBERTA IS JOINING US NOW .... NOW, HERE'S YOUR STORM TRACKER RADAR... TUESDAY SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 73. NORTH WIND AROUND 9 MPH. TUESDAY NIGHT MOSTLY CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 50. NORTHEAST WIND 3 TO 6 MPH. WEDNESDAY SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 72. EAST WIND AROUND 10 MPH. WEDNESDAY NIGHT CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 53. NORTHEAST WIND 3 TO 7 MPH. THURSDAY SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 78. THURSDAY NIGHT MOSTLY CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 59. FRIDAY A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS, MAINLY AFTER 2PM. MOSTLY SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 77. FRIDAY NIGHT A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS BEFORE AND HERE'S A LOOK AT YOUR TRAFFIC TRACK 22. THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS ON ROADS THIS MORNING. THE SEARCH FOR A CONSTRUCTION WORKER WHO FELL INTO THE OGEECHEE RIVER WILL CONTINUE TODAY. THE WORKER FELL INTO THE RIVER YESTERDAY WHILE HE WAS PAINTING UNDER A BRIDGE. THAT BRIDGE... LOCATED NEAR THE BRYAN AND CHATHAM COUNTY LINES ALONG EYE-95. WJCL 22 NEWS' KYRON NEVEAUX IS LIVE AT THE COMMAND CENTER ALONG HIGHWAY 17. KYRON, WHERE ARE SEARCH & RESCUE TEAMS IN THIS OPERATION? FRANK/EMMA- CREWS WILL GET BACK TO WORK AFTER HALTING THEIR SEARCH YESTERDAY EVENING DUE TO THE WEATHER. FIRST RESPONDERS HAVE SHIFTED FROM A RESCUE TO A RECOVERY OPERATION, AS THEY SAY THE CHANCES OF SURVIVAL FOR THE MAN HAVE BECOME SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER. THAT DECISION CAME AFTER FOUR HOURS OF SEARCHING. THE WORKER FELL INTO THE RIVER AROUND ONE MONDAY AFTERNOON... AGENCIES FROM BRYAN AND CHATHAM COUNTIES, ALONG WITH THE COAST GUARD, ARE WORKING ON THIS SEARCH WHICH HAS SO FAR BEEN CONDUCTED BY BOAT AND HELICOPTER. <ALLI PADGETT, BRYAN COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY> "THEY SAW IN FALL, AND THAT WAS ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, SO THE WIND HAS BEEN CRAZY TODAY. YOU CAN SPECULATE, PROBABLY ALL YOU WANT TO, BUT, IT'S ALL THEY SAID WAS THEY SAW HIM FALL, AND HE. AND HE WAS IN THE RIVER." WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ABOUT THIS INCIDENT.. WE'RE TOLD THAT SAFETY IS THEIR PRIORITY AND THEY WILL REMAIN HOPEFUL OF A POSITIVE OUTCOME. HAPPENING TODAY -- A CHATHAM COUNTY MAN WILL STAND TRIAL FOR THE DEATHS OF FIVE PEOPLE. THEY LOST THEIR LIVES IN 20-22 AS A RESULT OF A MEMORIAL DAY BOATING ACCIDENT ON THE WILMINGTON RIVER. PROSECUTORS SAY MARK STEGALL WAS AT THE HELM OF HIS BOAT... DRIVING DRUNK AND DOWN THE WRONG WAY WHEN HE SLAMMED INTO ANOTHER BOAT. STEGALL -- A LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER -- WAS CHARGED WITH 10 COUNTS OF HOMICIDE BY VESSELL... 6 COUNTS OF SERIOUS INJURY BY VESSELL -- 1 COUNT OF BOATING UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND ANOTHER COUNT OF RECKLESS OPERATION OF A VESSEL. HE IS PLEADING NOT GUILTY TO ALL CHARGES. AT LEAST HALF A DOZEN PEOPLE NEED A NEW HOME AFTER A FIRE BROKE OUT AT AN APARTMENT COMPLEX IN CHATHAM COUNTY. THE CALL CAME IN JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT AT BRENTWOOD PLACE ON SKIDAWAY ROAD. THAT'S JUST ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE WORMSLOE STATE HISTORIC SITE. CHECK OUT THIS FOOTAGE FROM THE SCENE. ACCORDING TO THE SAVANNAH FIRE DEPARTMENT...THE FIRE BROKE OUT IN AN APARTMENT ON THE SECOND FLOOR. THREE UNITS WERE DAMAGED. THANKFULLY NO ONE WAS HURT. SIX PEOPLE WERE DISPLACED...BUT THE COMPLEX SAYS THEY WILL BE RE-HOUSED IN THE SAME COMPLEX. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION. THIS MORNING IN WASHINGTON -- PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS HE IS NOT PAUSING HIS TRADE WAR. THIS COMES LESS THAN A DAY AFTER THE STOCK MARKET SAW ONE OF ITS WORST DAYS IN - **HISTORY. A ROLLER COASTER SESSION...ENDING IN THE BIGGEST- EVER ONE-DAY POINT SWING. AND AS FEARS OF A RECESSION REMAIN FRONT AND CENTER -- TRUMP IS NOW THREATENING CHINA WITH MORE TARIFFS. SHERRELL HUBBARD HAS THE LATEST ON THE ONGOING TARIFF SAGA. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ISSUED A NEW THREAT TO CHINA MONDAY -- COMPLY OR ELSE... PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: "IF THAT TARIFF ISN'T REMOVED BY TOMORROW AT 12 O'CLOCK, WE'RE PUTTING A 50% TARIFF ON ABOVE THE TARIFFS THAT WE PUT ON." HE MADE THE COMMENTS WHILE HOSTING ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU AT THE WHITE HOUSE. TRUMP THREATENING TO ADD NEW 50-PERCENT TARIFFS ON CHINA IF BEIJING DOESN'T REMOVE ITS OWN RETALIATORY TARIFFS BY TUESDAY. IT'S THE LATEST MOVE IN WHAT MANY ECONOMISTS ARE CALLING A GLOBAL TRADE WAR. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: ""I HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR CHINA, BUT THEY CAN'T DO THIS. WE'RE JUST, WE'RE GONNA HAVE ONE SHOT AT THIS, AND NO OTHER PRESIDENT'S GOING TO DO THIS WHAT I'M DOING." SOME REPUBLICAN LEADERS ARE URGING PATIENCE IN TRUMP'S ECONOMIC PLAN. REP. MIKE JOHNSON, HOUSE SPEAKER: HOUSE SPEAKER: "I THINK YOU GOT TO GIVE THE PRESIDENT THE LATITUDE, THE THE THE RUNWAY TO DO WHAT IT IS HE WAS ELECTED TO DO WHILE ON WALL STREET, FEARS OF A RECESSION SENT U-S STOCKS ON A ROLLER COASTER RIDE. AFTER ANOTHER EXTREMELY VOLATILE DAY -- STOCKS CLOSED MIXED, WITH THE DOW AND S&P SLIDING, AFTER TRUMP SAID HE'S *NOT* LOOKING AT PAUSING TARIFFS. JOE RENNISON // FINANCIAL MARKETS REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: "THIS IS A SHOCK THAT MARKETS HAVEN'T REALLY DEALT WITH BEFORE." MEANWHILE TRUMP PROMISING HIS PLAN WILL BRING WHAT HE CALLS "HISTORIC" PROSPERITY TO AMERICANS. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: "TARIFFS WILL MAKE THIS COUNTRY VERY RICH." I'M SHERRELL HUBBARD REPORTING. NEW THIS MORNING .... HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE LIVING AT THE VAULT APARTMENT COMPLEX IN STATESBORO HAVE TO FIND A NEW PLACE TO LIVE AFTER BEING HIT WITH EVACUATION ORDERS. ACCORDING TO GRICE CONNECT ... THE BUILDING HAS DANGEROUS STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS DUE TO MOISTURE DAMAGE. THE VAULT HAS TERMINATED LEASES WITH THE AFFECTED RESIDENTS ... REFUNDED APRIL'S RENT AND TOLD THEM THEY MUST VACATE BY THIS FRIDAY. WE HAVE A TRAFFIC REMINDER FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE LOWCOUNTRY. THIS WEEK .. BEAUFORT COUNTY WILL CONTINUE ROAD REPAIRS ON BLUFFTON PARKWAY FROM BUCK ISLAND ROAD TO RED CEDAR STREET. THIS DAILY NIGHT TIME CLOSURE WILL LAST FROM SEVEN P-M TO SIX A-M
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      Dogfighting Ring Busted: 160 dogs rescued in South Carolina, 11 suspects charged

      The operation also resulted in the seizure of $69,700 in cash and 50 firearms.

      Above video: Your Tuesday headlines The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division charged 11 men and rescued 160 dogs following a dogfighting investigation.According to arrest warrants, nearly a dozen men were involved in violent dogfighting events that occurred on approximately nine different dates.The operation resulted in the rescue of 160 dogs, as well as the seizure of $69,700 in cash, approximately 55 firearms, 17 pounds of marijuana, 11 grams of crack cocaine, 1 kilogram of cocaine, 2 grams of ketamine, 990 round blue fentanyl pills, and 2,266 ecstasy (MDMA) pills.The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.For more details on the investigation, click here.After the investigation, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster joined SLED Chief Mark Keel in a press conference to bring attention to the illegal blood sport.SLED charged the following men on April 2: Robert Kendale Adams, 41, was charged with the following:Animal fightingCriminal conspiracyIll treatment of animalsTrafficking marijuanaPossession of less than one gram of meth – first offenseGavin Mandell Miles, 44, was charged with the following:Unlawfully placing a child at riskAnimal fightingIll treatment of animalsPossession of cocaine base – second offensePossession of a schedule II controlled substance – first offensePossession of a controlled substance – first offenseCriminal conspiracyJames Maurice Bethea, 50, was charged with the following:Criminal conspiracyIll treatment of animalsAnimal fightingJonathon Ja’Teil Lester, 22, was charged with the following:3 counts of animal fighting3 counts of ill treatment of animalsSLED charged the following men on April 3:Larry Darnel Mack, Jr., 49, was charged with the following:Animal fighting Ill treatment of animalsChristopher Terrell Jordan, 32, was charged with the following: Animal fightingIll treatment of animals Criminal conspiracyPossession of a firearm by a person convicted of certain crimes – first offensePossession of a weapon during a violent crimePossession of crack cocainePossession of ketaminePossession of marijuanaPossession of oxycodonePossession of alprazolamPossession of a stolen pistolTrafficking cocaineTrafficking fentanylTrafficking Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)Anthony Dante Gause, 44, was charged with the following:Criminal conspiracyAnimal fightingIll treatment of animalsWade Rodeon Shipman, 61, was charged with the following:Criminal conspiracySammy Junior McCormick, 45, was charged with the following:Animal fightingIll treatment of animalsBlake Alexander Rogers, 29, was charged with the following:Animal fightingIll treatment of animalsTyquan Tymore Rogers, 24, was charged in Dillon County on April 4 with criminal conspiracy. Adams, Miles, Bethea, and Lester were booked into the Dillon County Detention Center on April 2.Mack, Jr., Jordan, Gause, McCormick, and Blake Alexander Rogers were booked into the Marion County Detention Center on April 3. Tyquan Rogers was booked into the Dillon County Detention Center on April 4.SLED was assisted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), the Dillon County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, the Summerville Police Department, the Marion Police Department, the Mullins Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, the South Carolina National Guard Governor's Counterdrug Task Force, the South Carolina National Guard Readiness Center, the Mullins Fire Department, as well as several fire departments in Dillon County.TRENDING STORIESSearch resumes for worker who fell off bridge into the Ogeechee RiverTroopers: Mother, 4 children killed after fiery I-95 crash in Coastal GeorgiaGeorgia bill to ban school zone speed cameras fails to pass. Why lawmakers aren't giving up

      Above video: Your Tuesday headlines

      The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division charged 11 men and rescued 160 dogs following a dogfighting investigation.

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      According to arrest warrants, nearly a dozen men were involved in violent dogfighting events that occurred on approximately nine different dates.

      dogfighting
      SLED

      The operation resulted in the rescue of 160 dogs, as well as the seizure of $69,700 in cash, approximately 55 firearms, 17 pounds of marijuana, 11 grams of crack cocaine, 1 kilogram of cocaine, 2 grams of ketamine, 990 round blue fentanyl pills, and 2,266 ecstasy (MDMA) pills.

      drug&#x20;bust
      South Carolina Law Enforcement Division
      guns&#x20;seized
      South Carolina Law Enforcement Division

      The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

      For more details on the investigation, click here.

      After the investigation, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster joined SLED Chief Mark Keel in a press conference to bring attention to the illegal blood sport.

      SLED charged the following men on April 2:

      Robert Kendale Adams, 41, was charged with the following:

      • Animal fighting
      • Criminal conspiracy
      • Ill treatment of animals
      • Trafficking marijuana
      • Possession of less than one gram of meth – first offense

      Gavin Mandell Miles, 44, was charged with the following:

      • Unlawfully placing a child at risk
      • Animal fighting
      • Ill treatment of animals
      • Possession of cocaine base – second offense
      • Possession of a schedule II controlled substance – first offense
      • Possession of a controlled substance – first offense
      • Criminal conspiracy

      James Maurice Bethea, 50, was charged with the following:

      • Criminal conspiracy
      • Ill treatment of animals
      • Animal fighting

      Jonathon Ja’Teil Lester, 22, was charged with the following:

      • 3 counts of animal fighting
      • 3 counts of ill treatment of animals

      SLED charged the following men on April 3:

      Larry Darnel Mack, Jr., 49, was charged with the following:

      • Animal fighting
      • Ill treatment of animals

      Christopher Terrell Jordan, 32, was charged with the following:

      • Animal fighting
      • Ill treatment of animals
      • Criminal conspiracy
      • Possession of a firearm by a person convicted of certain crimes – first offense
      • Possession of a weapon during a violent crime
      • Possession of crack cocaine
      • Possession of ketamine
      • Possession of marijuana
      • Possession of oxycodone
      • Possession of alprazolam
      • Possession of a stolen pistol
      • Trafficking cocaine
      • Trafficking fentanyl
      • Trafficking Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)

      Anthony Dante Gause, 44, was charged with the following:

      • Criminal conspiracy
      • Animal fighting
      • Ill treatment of animals

      Wade Rodeon Shipman, 61, was charged with the following:

      • Criminal conspiracy

      Sammy Junior McCormick, 45, was charged with the following:

      • Animal fighting
      • Ill treatment of animals

      Blake Alexander Rogers, 29, was charged with the following:

      • Animal fighting
      • Ill treatment of animals

      Tyquan Tymore Rogers, 24, was charged in Dillon County on April 4 with criminal conspiracy.

      Adams, Miles, Bethea, and Lester were booked into the Dillon County Detention Center on April 2.

      Mack, Jr., Jordan, Gause, McCormick, and Blake Alexander Rogers were booked into the Marion County Detention Center on April 3.

      Tyquan Rogers was booked into the Dillon County Detention Center on April 4.

      SLED was assisted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), the Dillon County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, the Summerville Police Department, the Marion Police Department, the Mullins Police Department, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, the South Carolina National Guard Governor's Counterdrug Task Force, the South Carolina National Guard Readiness Center, the Mullins Fire Department, as well as several fire departments in Dillon County.

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