Deputies arrest Berkeley Co. man on animal abandonment charges

ST. STEPHEN, S.C. (WCSC) - Berkeley County deputies have arrested a St. Stephen man after an animal abandonment investigation.

Thomas Ravenell, Jr., 40, was charged with two counts of abandonment of animals and one count of ill-treatment of animals. He was arrested Friday.

Deputies discovered two puppies on the front porch of a home on Sterling Lane in St. Stephen after a concerned citizen called for a welfare check, Cpl. Carli Drayton said.

Animal Control estimated the puppies to be about eight weeks old and they were severely underweight and malnourished. The puppies were being kept in a wire cage with no food or water. One of the puppies was dead at the scene, Drayton said.

Animal Control located a third dog chained to a tree in the backyard.

Drayton said the dog did not have food or water and had no shelter. Its head was stuck in a plastic storage container. Animal control said the dog was a lab-mix and around four or five months old.

The two surviving dogs were removed from the home and taken to Berkeley Animal Center for emergency treatment.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.