Matthew Earl Kessens faces five counts of ill treatment of animals, four rabies-tag violations, trespassing after notice, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine as a third or subsequent offense, according to WYFF News 4. Deputies said they found 1.69 grams of methamphetamine during the investigation.
Animals removed from Hunts Bridge Road site
Deputies began the investigation after responding to a business on Hunts Bridge Road in Greenville County, where they found an encampment behind the business, WSPA 7NEWS reported. Authorities said four dogs and a duck were being kept without food or water. They also reported that two animals were restrained by ropes around their necks and that the duck had clipped wings.
Animal Control removed all five animals from the site, according to FOX Carolina. The available reports do not say where the animals were placed or describe their condition after removal.
The reported charges and descriptions of the animals' conditions come from accounts attributed to Greenville County deputies and local news reports. The materials available for this revision do not include a court record or case-specific statement from Greenville County Animal Care confirming the full allegations, charges or outcomes.
What Greenville County Animal Care does
For broader context, Greenville County Animal Care says it provides animal care, animal control, cruelty investigations, lost-pet services, community support and lifesaving programs. The agency also describes itself as an open-admission shelter serving every animal and says it works to keep pets with their families when possible. The agency information available for this article does not provide a recent countywide count of animal-neglect complaints or cruelty cases, or case-specific information about what happened to the five animals in this investigation.
