Criminal Defense Lawyer in Goose Creek, SC

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office said a man is charged with 74 animal cruelty-related charges after more than 30 dogs were seized from his property.

Loney Leroy Garrett, 77, is charged with 35 counts of ill treatment of animals, 35 counts of no rabies inoculations and four counts of improper burial.

Cpl. Carli Carr said these charges stem from a June 22 incident in which deputies responded to a Garretts Court house following an investigation into multiple violations of animal cruelty.

They discovered 35 dogs being kept in “deplorable and unsanitary conditions” and found confined in feces-filled crates with urine-soaked wooden boards.

The Berkeley County Animal Cruelty Investigator said that the dogs had no access to clean drinking water, adequate food and their water buckets were filled with dirty, feces-contaminated liquid.

It was later revealed that Garrett transported dogs from Tennessee into South Carolina without required health certificates or proof of rabies vaccinations. None of the dogs were found to be properly inoculated for rabies.

Garrett pleaded guilty to 10 counts of animal cruelty back in 2013, where investigators discovered 200 dogs buried in the same yard. He was convicted in 2015 and sentenced to two years in prison and five years of probation.

He was initially charged with 43 counts of animal cruelty, but was sentenced to 10 charges.

The dogs were removed from his property and are receiving veterinary care and evaluation by the Berkeley County Animal Control and the Charleston Animal Society.

“Charleston Animal Society is proud to support the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office in this critical investigation,” Fuller said. “These dogs were living in unacceptable conditions. We are grateful they are now safe and will receive the veterinary care, food, and compassion they so desperately need.”

His son, Loney Garrett Jr., is also being charged with one count of ill treatment of animals.

The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the incident.

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GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Popular gas station chain Buc-ee’s is taking a South Carolina clothing company to court over its iconic beaver logo.

Buc-ee’s filed a copyright infringement lawsuit on May 27 against Goose Creek-based apparel company Born United.

Born United has both a private label and sells third-party merchandise from brands like Palmetto State Armory and Nine Line Apparel. Below is the mission statement on store’s website:

Born United’s online inventory includes private label men’s “Tac-Bucc” shorts, which feature a beaver with tactical gear and a firearm. The lawsuit also includes pictures of listings for “Tac-Bucc” t-shirts and a PVC patch.

In the suit, Buc-ee’s says they have not granted the brand permission to use their world-famous beaver logo and accuse Born United of exploiting the gas station chain’s reputation.

Buc-ee’s reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter to Born United, but at least one of the items mentioned in the lawsuit is still on the apparel website as of Monday morning.

The lawsuit seeks to bar Born United from selling the Tac-Bucc merchandise or “any marks identical and/or confusingly similar to the Buc-ee’s Marks, for any purpose.” Buc-ee’s is also seeking damages, legal fees, and any profits from the items.

FOX Carolina has reached out to Born United for comment.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCIV) — One person is dead after a house fire in Goose Creek early Tuesday morning, according to officials.

The Berkeley County Coroner's Office has identified the victim as Danial Skinner, 69, of Goose Creek.

Crews reportedly responded to the scene just after midnight, which involved a single family home off Kathryn Drive in Goose Creek.

Eight separate fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze including Goose Creek Rural, Pine Ridge, Hanahan, Caromi, Pimlico, Goose Creek City, Joint Base, Central Berkeley Fire & EMS.

“It was a significant fire when we arrived, almost half the house was involved in fire," said Chief Bob Maibach with Goose Creek Rural Fire Department.

THE LATEST: Berkeley County coroner identifies one dead in Goose Creek house fire

Chief Maibach said there's no reason to believe this was a suspicious fire or a case of arson, and that SLED is always called in to investigate when a fatality is reported.

A cause of fire was unknown Tuesday. Chief Maibach said his crews often find non-operating smoke alarms at the scene of house fires.

“These are situations that happen and every second counts, so having that alarm that functions and alerts you, even in in the middle of the night, is very important," he said. "Smoke detectors save lives."

The fire was officially reported under control just before 1:00 a.m. Tuesday.

Fire crews were called back to the scene around 7 a.m. to extinguish a small spot fire.

SLED, State Fire Marshals, the Berkeley County Coroner's Office and Berkeley County Sheriff's Office are investigating.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - Every week, dozens of families flock to the Helping Hands of Goose Creek food pantry for everyday products that feed families struggling to get ahead.

For people like Loretta Mitchell, it’s a vital resource.

“I am so proud of what I got today,” Mitchell said. “I have some pita bread, some cinnamon rolls. I have fruits and vegetables. All the healthy food that we need.”

But recently, the pantry’s shelves have become emptier. Executive Director Nicole Franklin says budget cuts at the national level have hit them hard. They get much of their food from a United States Department of Agriculture program, but that program is being scaled back.

“In the first quarter of 2025, we saw a decrease of 14,000 pounds in food that we can distribute,” Franklin said. “So if you qualified for the USDA program, you were getting about 35 pounds of food, and now you’re getting about 20. Before, you could probably make three meals out of that. Now you can probably make two.”

On top of that, a large chunk of their funding to purchase food, about $11,000, is tied up in a grant that is being paused, despite it already being awarded.

If less food and less money aren’t enough, Franklin says they’re on track for a record year on the demand side of things, too.

“We went from 3,600 grocery carts that we distributed to 5,200 grocery carts in one year. So there was a huge influx – about 30%,” Franklin said. “We saw one family come in last month that had lost their job with Boeing because of the cuts. So, what we are seeing is that as cuts happen across the country, more people are coming because they have a need.”

Last month alone, Franklin says they fed nearly 500 families.

Pastor Yolanda White came to the pantry to pick up food for one of her parishioners. She says now is not the time to roll back government support for programs that help feed people.

“Those that make that decision are not in need,” White said. “They probably have never experienced what it means to be hungry or to try to determine how they can either pay their rent so they can remain in the apartment where the housing bill is astounding, or feed their family. Or what it’s like having to decide, do I pay my health care bill? Do I purchase the medication or do I purchase food?”

This weekend is the United States Postal Service’s Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Every second Saturday in May, people can leave items at their mailboxes, and mail carriers will pick them up. It generates thousands of pounds of food for local food pantries like Helping Hands.

Franklin says last year there wasn’t much advertising about the drive, and there hasn’t been any this year either. She says they saw a large drop in donations, going from 10,000 pounds to 14,000 pounds from the single food drive to just around 900 pounds last year. She is hoping this year will be different.

She says getting food on the shelves is a critical problem.

“I think that feeding people is the first way that we make a difference. If everyone’s bellies are full, kids are going to learn better at school. Employees are going to perform better,” Franklin said. “Everything across the board is benefited when bellies are full and families are fed.”

To participate in the food drive on Saturday, all you have to do is leave a box or can of nonperishable food at your mailbox, and the mail carriers will do the rest.