On the Street

S.C. Deputies Rescue Puppy after Paws Screwed to Door Frame

March 4, 2022

“He was still alive, but he was weak," said Union County's sheriff about the abused dog that was found in a barricaded bathroom by deputies who were tipped off by a resident.

By Tanasia Kenney

Source The Charlotte Observer

Following a tip, Union County, SC, sheriff's deputies rescued a puppy that had its paws screwed into the door frame of a barricaded bathroom.

Editor's note: The following story includes disturbing descriptions and photos.

A South Carolina man accused of screwing a dog’s paws to a door frame before barricading the animal inside a bathroom is behind bars, local news outlets reported, citing police.

Tyler Austin Jerdo, 22, was arrested and charged with ill treatment of animals after authorities said he used a power drill to bore two three-inch screws through his dog’s paws, according to WYFF.

Union County deputies found the pup at a home on Whitmire Highway last week after a private citizen alerted them to the abuse, WSPA reported. Backup officers and animal control arrived to find the dog barricaded in the home’s bathroom.

“He was still alive, but he was weak, wasn’t sure how long he’d been there,” Sheriff Jeff Bailey told the news station. “The actual dog was standing, that’s when they observed the screw in the paw.”

McClatchy News reached out to the Union County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, March 2, and was awaiting a response.

Deputies said there were several items blocking the door when they arrived, including an air conditioning unit and outdoor birdbath, according to WMBF.

An officer was forced to climb though the bathroom window to reach the dog, Bailey told WSPA.

Authorities were eventually able to unscrew the “limp” pup from the door frame, WYFF reported, citing an incident report. Jerdo showed up a short time later and is accused of fighting with authorities trying to arrest him.

He faces charges of resisting arrest and escape after authorities said he bolted from the backseat of a patrol car and head-butted a deputy, according to the news station. Jerdo was later arrested and booked into the Union County Detention Center.

The rescued dog is recovering at the Union County Animal Shelter, where staff members have named him “Asher,” WSPA reported.

Union County is about 70 miles northwest of Columbia.

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