CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, S.C. — Chesterfield County deputies said a man was found dead in the middle of the road with his clothes shredded and covered in bite marks.
Now, the sheriff’s office is investigating whether four dogs were responsible for his death.
Authorities said they found the body of Scottie Brigman, 34, earlier in May on Bailey Sawmill Road, surrounded by four pit bulls.
“When some of our patrol units arrived they did see the dogs on scene waiting around the body and they [police] had to shoo the dogs away,” said Capt. Wayne Jordan.
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Deputies took all four dogs, and said one was a stray and three belonged to a nearby family. They’re examining the animals to see if they contributed to Brigman’s death.
“Once we got a manner of death, we could take it to the solicitor and seek charges against the owner of those three pit bull dogs,” Jordan said.
Traci Smith said she hopes the owner is charged. She believes the same dogs attacked her last month while she was riding her horse down the same dirt road.
“They were biting my horse from the front, from the back, all directions. And he was freaking out like you would expect him to do. He was jumping in the air, bucking, trying to run away but they were surrounding him and he couldn’t get away,” Smith said.
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She said strangers heard her cry for help and came to the rescue, but she doesn’t want it to happen to anyone else again.
“I hope they’re charged with something,” Smith said.
The owner of the dogs wasn’t home Monday when Channel 9′s Tina Terry stopped by. Investigators said that if they find the dogs played a role in Brigman’s death, they could pursue charges.
Return to this story for updates.
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