Monetta man arrested in dog burglaries, incarcerated at Aiken County detention center
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Aug. 11—A Monetta man arrested in April in connection to a string of burglaries at the Aiken County Animal Shelter is incarcerated at the Aiken County detention center.
Donald James was arrested April 1 on five warrants for burglary second degree.
On Aug. 29, 2020, a shelter employee noticed one of the dogs roaming the parking lot. When the employee looked at the kennel, he noticed that the latches were on the ground and appeared to be broken off, according to an incident report obtained from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.
A blue mask and red wrench were also found near the kennel.
The employee also stated that "he observed the dog's vaginal area to be swollen and advised that a vet technician looked at the dog and found it to be leaking from the vaginal area but could not advise what kind of or where the fluid was sourced from," according to the report.
Video surveillance footage later showed the suspect on the property with the same dog that was found roaming the parking lot.
The sheriff's office said the suspect gained access to the animal shelter six times dating back to February 2019.
"After each incident, shelter staff have located the dogs on property with the exception of one dog. During the most recent incident, shelter staff observed vaginal trauma on the dog the following morning," according to police.
James is still being held at the detention center, according to Lt. Robert Bowman.
