‘Smell of death’ at South Carolina home lands woman in prison, prosecutor says
A South Carolina woman, who used to be the CEO of an animal rescue, is going to prison following the deaths of dozens of dogs and cats, the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office told The State on Tuesday.
On Oct. 30, a Richland County jury convicted 50-year-old Caroline Dawn Pennington of 30 counts of ill treatment of animals (torture), the solicitor’s office said in a news release it shared with The State. Judge Chris Taylor sentenced Pennington to 9 years in a South Carolina Department of Corrections prison, according to the release.
Additionally, Pennington was sentenced to 150 years of no pet ownership, the solicitor’s office said.
Pennington was arrested in 2022, following a tip to law enforcement that reported the “smell of death” coming from her Columbia home, according to the release.
At the time, Pennington was the CEO of a non-profit animal rescue called GROWL and also worked with the Kershaw County Humane Society, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department previously reported.
On May 22, 2022, deputies responded to Pennington’s Dibble Lane home and immediately smelled “the odor of decomposing flesh,” the solicitor’s office said. After obtaining a search warrant, deputies found 30 dead animals — 28 dogs and two cats.
All but four of the animals were locked in pet carriers or wire kennels filled with waste, indicating they had been confined for an extended period, according to the release. The remaining four were found in Pennington’s home, the solicitor’s office said.
Because of the level of decomposition, veterinary pathologists couldn’t perform necropsies to determine the causes of death, according to the release.
Both Richland County Animal Control and the sheriff’s department removed the animals.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott called it one of the worst cases of animal cruelty he’s seen.
“This is someone who was entrusted by the community to care for these animals and find them homes. She betrayed that trust and she betrayed the trust of these innocent animals who relied on her,” Lott said in 2022.
Following the sheriff’s department’s investigation Pennington was arrested on June 3, 2022, the solicitor’s office said.
Assistant Solicitors Emily Burn, Paul Walton and Carson Anderson led the prosecution for the solicitor’s office. Columbia attorney Marion Moses was listed as Pennington’s lawyer, Richland County court records show.
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This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 11:51 AM with the headline "‘Smell of death’ at South Carolina home lands woman in prison, prosecutor says."
