RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — A former Midlands animal rescue director has been sentenced to nine years in prison after a jury convicted her of torturing and neglecting 30 animals found dead inside her home.
A Richland County jury found Caroline Dawn Pennington guilty of 30 counts of ill treatment of animals – torture, according to the Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office. Judge Christopher “Chris” Taylor sentenced Pennington to nine years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections and banned her from owning pets for 150 years.
Deputies were first called to Pennington’s home on May 22, 2022, after a Crimestoppers tip reported the “smell of death” coming from the residence. Richland County Sheriff’s Department investigators later obtained a search warrant and discovered 30 deceased animals — 28 dogs and two cats — many of them locked in pet carriers or wire kennels filled with waste…