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CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #2187 Rating: 3.0 out of 5 (23 votes)
Dog-fighting - 47 dogs
North Charleston, SC (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Apr 7, 2004
County: Charleston
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available
Defendant/Suspect: David Ray Tant
Case Updates: 8 update(s) available
On Wednesday, 56 year old North Charleston resident David Tant was arrested and is facing 68 charges ranging from animal fighting to assault and battery with intent to kill after authorities found 47 dogs, caged treadmills and armed booby traps at his property.
When Charleston County sheriff's deputies arrived at the 11 acres Wednesday, they found dozens of pit bulls. Some were caged and hidden from view by tall grass while others were in surrounding woods, tethered to the ground with heavy chains, deputies said.
Authorities said they found the dogfighting operation on rural property in Charleston County after a man on a surveying crew suffered pellet wounds from a gun rigged to keep people away.
David Tant declined to comment during a hearing Thursday, and his attorney said it was too soon to talk about the merits of the case.
Humane Society investigators and member of the attorney general's dogfighting task force said authorities feel they found one of the nation's top dog fighters.
"For years, he has been what they refer to in the business as a 'dog man,' the upper echelon of dog fighters," Steve Stephenson said. "He is a recognized referee of dog fights, and he had a grand champion, which means a dog that won five fights. He's probably made a mint from selling puppies of that dog."
Tant, described as a burly man with bushy white hair, appeared at the hearing in overalls and a T-shirt. His lawyer, Mike Bosnak, said Tant's property is clearly marked with "No trespassing" signs, and he had told surveyors the day before that they were not welcome on his land. Bosnak said Tant had previous problems with thefts on the property.
Detectives also searched Tant's home and found evidence tying him to dog fighting, said sheriff's Capt. Dana Valentine, but she would not discuss specifics.
When surveyor Steven Baker tried to get a closer look at barking dogs Wednesday, he struck a 66-foot trip wire and was blasted with birdshot. He was struck in the chest and leg. He was treated and released from the hospital. Investigators said the device was rigged to keep intruders away from Tant's breeding facility.
The dogfighting task force, the attorney general's office, the State Law Enforcement Division, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are assisting with the investigation.
Case UpdatesA South Carolina man once described as a the nation's No. 2 breeder of fighting pit bulls is getting out of prison on parole.
The Probation, Parole and Pardon Services board voted 5-2 on Wednesday to grant parole to 63-year-old David Ray Tant.
In July, a three-member panel of the board had voted 2-1 to parole Tant. But the split vote required the full board to consider his release.
Tant was arrested in 2004 after investigators removed dozens of injured dogs from his Charleston County property. Tant pleaded guilty to several dogfighting charges, and his 40-year sentence had been reduced to 30 years.
Tant said during his July hearing he is a changed man and won't hurt dogs again.
Board spokesman Peter O'Boyle it will take several weeks to process Tant for release from a prison in Berkeley County. | Source: News Channel 7 - Sept 8, 2010
Update posted on Sep 9, 2010 - 9:22AM |
A South Carolina man once described as a the nation's No. 2 breeder of fighting pit bulls will have to wait to see if he can get out of prison early after a panel of the state's parole board split its vote Wednesday.
The split vote means that it will be up to the full seven-member board to vote later this year whether David Tant will get out of prison before 2019, when his sentence maxes out. If he's turned down by the full board, Tant will get another chance at parole next year.
Tant, 63, was arrested in 2004 after a surveyor near his Charleston County property triggered a booby trap that authorities said had been set to keep intruders away. Steven Baker returned to work after he was treated at a hospital for birdshot pellets in the chest, stomach and leg.
Investigators subsequently searched Tant's compound and removed dozens of pit bulls they found hidden in cages in tall grass or tethered to the ground by heavy chains. Authorities also seized caged treadmills, cattle prods, shotguns and rifles, as well as small explosive devices.
The dogs were cared for by an animal shelter in Charleston but later euthanized because they were deemed too aggressive to put up for adoption. Tant was charged with 41 counts of dogfighting - one for each dog seized - and assault and battery for Baker's injuries.
Just as his trial got under way, Tant pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the assault and six of the dogfighting charges. That sentence was reduced to 30 years after Tant paid $80,000 to the shelter as restitution for taking care of the dogs.
Tant's arrest came just weeks after South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster partnered with state police to create a special dogfighting task force. Since then, McMaster's office has prosecuted dozens of dogfighting cases, most of which resulted in fines or up to five years in prison.
On Wednesday, McMaster implored the board to deny Tant's request, saying it would be "a miscarriage of justice" to let him out of prison early and describing the conditions on Tant's property as a "chamber of horrors."
"He should serve that sentence. He earned it," McMaster said. "It's hard to imagine anything more barbaric."
Animal rights officials who said they collected more than 5,000 signatures from people opposing Tant's early release said the prolific dog breeder created a vicious line of championship dogs whose descendants are still involved in fights around the country.
"David Tant had an impact on dogfighting not only in this country but also around the world," said Sandy Christiansen, the president of the Spartanburg Humane Society who worked with prosecutors on Tant's trial.
Parole officials said they received numerous letters in support of Tant's early release, including one from the man who was wounded by the rigged gun. Steven Baker wrote that Tant had paid him $17,500 in restitution to cover his medical bills and said he would not oppose parole.
In his own defense, Tant said he's a reformed man, attends church services twice a week and won't have contact with dogs after his release.
"I have much humility and remorse for my past," said Tant, appearing via video conference from prison. "That man from six years ago is dead and gone, never to live again."
Tant's new hearing will likely be in a month or two. His attorney said the board's decision was the right one for his client, who he said has already served more time in prison for dogfighting than any inmate in the country.
"Clearly the board was torn and troubled," said Doug Jennings, who is also a member of the state legislature. "I am encouraged by that."
Tant is also appealing his sentence to the South Carolina Court of Appeals, which is expected to consider that case later this year. | Source: Lake Wylie Pilot - Jul 21, 2010
Update posted on Jul 21, 2010 - 3:40PM |
The parole hearing date for convicted fighting dog breeder David Tant has been rescheduled for July 21 in Columbia.
The hearing was reset after his legal team requested a postponement from the state Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services this month.
The original hearing date was June 16.
Tant, 63, formerly of the Charleston area, pleaded guilty in November 2004 to more than 40 counts of illegally breeding fighting dogs.
Another count covered an assault charge when a surveyor was wounded by a booby trap after he had wandered onto Tant's property in southern Charleston County.
Tant was sentenced to 40 years behind bars, which later was reduced to 30 years after he paid restitution.
The upcoming hearing is his first bid for parole after serving six years in the Department of Corrections.
Tant was arrested after a booby trap went off.
Authorities later uncovered a variety of implements used in the underground dog-fighting trade that were connected to Tant, including caged treadmills, cattle prods, harnesses, a bear trap, homemade gun silencers, dog-fighting magazines and remnants of a dog-fighting ring.
Officials from the Charleston Animal Society are pressing their efforts to keep Tant in prison, saying his early release after serving six years would minimize crimes against animals and send the wrong message.
"Please let the parole board know that you do not want David Tant to receive parole for his part in the brutal sport of dog fighting," the group said in an e-mail being circulated.
Persons wishing to join the petition effort may contact the parole board through its website at www.dppps.sc.gov. Under the heading "contact us" on the agency's website, interested parties may send messages opposing or advocating Tant's release.
His prison number is 00306170. | Source: The Post and Courier - Jun 25, 2010
Update posted on Jun 25, 2010 - 2:21PM |
David Tant, one of the nation's most notorious dog breeders, is seeking his first bid for parole after serving six years of a 40-year sentence for promoting dog fighting.
Tant is scheduled to go before the state Parole Board on June 16th in Columbia where he will be given the chance to make a statement via video from prison.
Attorney General Henry McMaster and numerous local animal activists plan to attend the hearing to argue why they believe Tant, formerly of Charleston, should stay locked up.
Based on his level of involvement, "I think it appears he could jump right back in the dog-fighting arena," said Charles Karesh of the Charleston Animal Society and also a member of the state's anti-dog-fighting task force.
Tant, 63, had long been on the radar of local authorities for possible involvement in illegal dog activities. But the investigation against him broke wide open in the spring of 2004 when a land surveyor accidentally wandered onto his property near Rantowles, tripping a potentially lethal hidden booby trap.
The surveyor was showered by an explosion of birdshot, injuring him slightly. The device was described as a "directional mine" meant to ward off intruders.
The blast, however, proved beneficial for law enforcement, giving them probable cause to search Tant's properties. They eventually uncovered a variety of implements used in the underground dog-fighting trade: caged treadmills, cattle prods, harnesses, a bear trap, homemade gun silencers, dog-fighting magazines and remnants of a dog-fighting ring. Authorities also seized 47 dogs, many which showed signs of scarring and abuse.
Tant, who prosecutors said was the country's No. 2 breeder of fighting pit bulls, was charged with 41 counts of illegally breeding fighting dogs, and one assault count connected to wounding the surveyor. Months later he would plead guilty in the middle of his trial as the evidence piled up against him. He was sentenced to 40 years behind bars by Circuit Judge Markley Dennis and all his dogs were euthanized, as none was considered adoptable.
Tant's prosecution was considered a landmark event in combating illegal dog-fighting in South Carolina. Just weeks before his arrest, McMaster formally announced the creation of a dog-fighting task force as a reaction to a spate of dog-fighting cases uncovered around South Carolina in the months prior.
Karesh said releasing Tant from prison after serving just six years of a 40-year term would bring into question whether the state is serious about ending the culture of dog-fighting. "To be out on his first try doesn't send a clear message to the community," he said.
Prior to his arrest, Tant's bloodline of dogs was especially prized in the world of illegal dog-fighting, where some said his involvement dated as far back as the 1960s. He even described himself in interviews as an "old-time dog man."
The illegal "sport" of animal fighting followed a familiar path, with betting, steroids and dead animals all part of the ritual. Some also said it could be profitable. Estimates from the time of Tant's arrest were that a puppy from a champion's line could fetch up to $1,500. Two-year-old dogs with some fighting experience went for about $2,500.
Prior to being convicted, Tant and his supporters described him as a reformed dog fighter-turned legal dog breeder. They conceded he was involved in dog fighting before 2001, but that he left the sport behind after testifying before a federal grand jury as a government witness.
Tant is currently housed at the MacDougall Correctional Institution, near Ridgeville in Dorchester County, about an hour's drive from Charleston. He could still opt to waive requesting parole or seek a delay.
The groups opposed to Tant's release plan to present thousands of petition signatures to the state parole board. | Source: The Post-Courier - Jun 14, 2010
Update posted on Jun 14, 2010 - 12:27PM |
Just weeks before his first parole hearing, family members of convicted dog fighter David Tant say his punishment doesn't fit the crime.
Tant was sentenced to 40 years in 2004 after pleading guilty to dogfighting. The sentence was reduced to 30 years after Tant paid restitution to Charleston County for the caring of the pit bulls that were seized from his property in Rantowles.
"He has served his time. When does prosecution turn into persecution," said Tant's cousin Kerry Baxley. "He should have received some punishment for his involvement and his lack of making the proper decisions along that line."
Baxley said Tant got involved in dogfighting back in the 1980's when the crime was a misdemeanor and was not pursued by law enforcement the way it is now.
"When it became a felony, he had no longer participated in any active fighting of any dogs or what have you. He went to the breeding and selling of the dogs," said Baxley.
Baxley said the dog fighting equipment seized by deputies was used when Tant was involved in the blood sport and was just being stored. "I saw it after it was seized by the county. However I did not recognize it when it was presented in the courtroom because it had been very thoroughly cleaned to give the impression it was actively used."
He said Tant had no choice but to plead guilty in the middle of his trial.
"The cards were stacked. It was an effort to have a poster child for the prosecution of future cases of dogs," he said.
Baxley promised if Tant gets paroled his dog fighting days are over. "I assure you to the best of my knowledge, the court will never see David Tant again in any criminal activity," said Baxley.
Prosecutors and animal rights activists say Tant got what he deserved and they plan to fight his bid for parole on June 16.
Tant is scheduled to be released from prison in 2019. | Source: Live 5 News - May 14, 2010
Update posted on May 16, 2010 - 4:24PM |
David Tant, accused of breeding and training dogs for underground fights will spend the next 30 years of his life in a cage.
David Tant, labeled by prosecutors as the No. 2 breeder of fighting pit bulls, submitted a guilty plea Monday two days into his jury trial.
Tant faced 41 charges of criminal animal fighting and one charge of assault and battery with intent to kill. Many of these charges were dismissed as part of his guilty plea, and the most potentially serious - one count of assault and battery with intent to kill - was reduced to assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.
While the final sentence was a small portion of the 205 years faced by Tant. He received a total of 30 years in prison - 10 for creating the booby trap that injured the surveyor, 20 for four counts of criminal animal fighting. | Source: indexjournal.com
Update posted on Nov 23, 2004 - 7:46AM |
A jury was selected Monday evening to hear the case.
During a break in court, Tant slipped inside the courthouse while walking down the stairs to the first floor.
He was transported by ambulance to Self Regional Hospital, but the extent of his injuries was not known.
"Mr. Tant had an accident on the steps," Judge Wyatt Saunders told the court around 3 p.m. "No one knows at this point if he was injured."
"I understand he's going to be admitted to a hospital," said Assistant Attorney General William Frick. "We don't know what his injuries are, or if he's going to be held overnight. It will be up to the judge if the case will continue or be postponed."
Greenwood County deputies have been assigned to guard Tant at the hospital.
Tant faces 41 charges of criminal animal fighting and one charge of assault and battery with intent to kill. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for the assault charge, and 205 years and $205,000 in fines for criminal animal fighting.
The animal fighting charges stem from discoveries made by deputies on Tant's property during the investigation of the trip-wire injury. He faces one charge of criminal animal fighting for each of the 41 pit bull dogs found on his land.
State prosecutors allege that Tant is the nation's No. 2 breeder of pit bulls, the primary dog used in animal fighting. Tant denies any wrongdoing, but said Tuesday he agreed to be questioned in a 2001 federal Grand Jury investigation of illegal dogfights in Virginia.
In exchange for his testimony in that investigation, he received immunity from the U.S. Department of Justice for offenses that took place prior to the 2001 investigation. His attorney argued Tuesday that this immunity extended into evidence collected by the S.C. Attorney General's Office for this case. Many of the items collected by investigators on his property were in storage and had not been used in years.
Prosecutors were not barred from trying to enter dated evidence in the trial, but it is expected each item will be ruled upon on a case-by-case basis, Frick said.
Testimony by Tant in the 2001 federal investigation has not been sought by prosecutors for use in the trial, he said.
Pretrial motions and hearings have dominated much of the activity in court this week as defense attorney Dale Cobb has sought to have interviews with Tant and other evidence barred from use in the trial.
Cobb was expected to argue Tuesday that the criminal animal fighting law is unconstitutional. When Tant was injured, the jury had yet to hear even opening arguments in the trial.
The case against Tant is being used as a proving ground for a dog fighting task force created by S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster's office, which has received support from animal welfare groups offering to train and
partially fund investigations. | Source: Index-Joural - Nov 17, 2004
Update posted on Nov 18, 2004 - 11:10PM |
A judge on Wednesday awarded custody of more than 50 pit bulls to the Charleston County Sheriff's Office after more than six hours of testimony centering on whether their owner, David Tant of North Charleston , used the dogs in the illegal and vicious world of dog fighting or bred them for that purpose.
Tant's attorneys said he was breeding pit bulls, which is not illegal. They said he had no control over what someone might do with them after a sale.
...
In a dramatic presentation, county attorney Tom Lynn pulled heavy chains from a box and placed them on the witness stand. The chains were said to weigh nearly 30 pounds for building strength in the dogs as they lugged them around.
During testimony, Carlson said the chains looked heavy enough to pull a bus.
Other evidence introduced Wednesday included dozens of firearms, "break sticks" used to pry apart fighting dogs and an audio tape said to contain a recording of a telephone call between Tant and another suspected dog fighter. Senn said the other man wanted to know how one of Tant's dogs was doing after a recent fight.
The dog died two days later, she said.
Authorities also discovered a suspected fighting pit and so-called "rape box" tucked in the woods on Tant's 11-acre property.
The wooden box is used to restrain a female dog so it can be mounted by a male. Veterinarians testifying for each side disagreed on how common such devices are in dog breeding.
Read more: Update posted on Apr 22, 2004 - 6:31AM |
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