Horry County Police have arrested three people and filed dozens of additional charges in a months-long investigation into an alleged animal-cruelty and dogfighting operation near Longs, and investigators say 58 dogs were seized from the properties involved [HCPD, 2026]. These developments are linked to the ongoing scrutiny surrounding Horry County animal cruelty charges.

The arrests came Friday, July 17, following field work that regional outlets have traced to a roughly monthlong stretch of activity in the spring and that the department describes as a months-long case [HCPD, 2026]. Police identified those arrested as Jemar Dwight Chestnut, 44; Jachym Ni’Yan Evans, 20; and Themontres Malik Livingston, 24 [HCPD, 2026].

All three men have been charged with criminal conspiracy [HCPD, 2026; WMBF, 2026; WPDE, 2026; ABC News 4, 2026]. Chestnut alone faces a much longer list of additional counts, according to the department. None of the three has been tried or convicted, and each is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

The Charges, Count by Count

This investigation has drawn significant attention due to the severe nature of the crimes associated with the Horry County animal cruelty charges.

Understanding Horry County Animal Cruelty Charges

According to the Horry County Police Department, Chestnut is charged with 33 counts of felony ill treatment of animals, 26 counts of animal fighting or baiting, and one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person prohibited — all in addition to the criminal conspiracy charge he shares with the other two men [HCPD, 2026].

Evans and Livingston each face a single charge: criminal conspiracy [HCPD, 2026]. The 33 ill-treatment counts, the 26 animal-fighting counts, and the firearm count apply to Chestnut only, according to police. Neither Evans nor Livingston has been charged with those offenses.

On the day of the arrests, regional news outlets reported only that all three faced criminal conspiracy, noting that police had deferred a detailed accounting of the charges to a later update [WPDE, 2026; ABC News 4, 2026]. The specific counts against Chestnut come from the department’s own release [HCPD, 2026].

These are allegations.** No court has weighed the evidence, and no bond amounts, hearing dates, or attorney names had been released as of the initial coverage [HCPD, 2026].

How the Case Came Together

The investigation began with an anonymous tip to the department’s Environmental Services Unit, according to police [HCPD, 2026; ABC News 4, 2026]. That single call from a community member set in motion a multi-agency effort that police say drew in the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, veterinarians, and animal-welfare organizations [HCPD, 2026; WMBF, 2026].

Investigators executed search warrants at five properties, according to the department: two in the 3000 block of Rainbow Drive in Longs, one in the 2000 block of Sunny Heights, and two in the 100 block of Babe Lane [HCPD, 2026]. Of those, regional outlets independently confirmed only the Rainbow Drive location [WMBF, 2026; WPDE, 2026]. Police have not detailed what was found at each address.

The timeline itself illustrates how these cases are built. Regional coverage places the visible field work across roughly a month in late spring, while the department characterizes the overall effort as months-long [WPDE, 2026; WBTW, 2026]. Both descriptions fit the same arc: weeks of on-the-ground investigation followed by additional months of assembling a case strong enough to bring charges.

Chief Kris Leonhardt credited the resident who first came forward. “We want to thank the community member who came forward,” Leonhardt said. “Tips like this can be the first step toward protecting our most vulnerable who do not have a voice” [HCPD, 2026].

Capt. Crystal Buckingham, a department spokesperson, framed the arrests as the product of a deliberate, evidence-driven process. “Friday’s arrests are the result of collaboration, professionalism, and relentless effort to rescue the animals involved while holding those responsible accountable,” Buckingham said [HCPD, 2026]. She added that the department’s priority was “ensuring the health and safety of the animals while conducting a thorough investigation that will withstand the court process and ultimately lead to successful prosecution [HCPD, 2026].

What the Animal-Fighting Counts Signal

The distinction between the charges matters. Basic neglect of an animal in South Carolina is a misdemeanor under the lower tier of the state’s ill-treatment law [S.C. Code, 2025]. The felony counts filed against Chestnut are a different category.

Felony ill treatment under S.C. Code Section 47-1-40(B) covers torturing, tormenting, needlessly mutilating, cruelly killing, or inflicting excessive or repeated unnecessary pain on an animal [S.C. Code, 2025; Justia, 2025]. Each count carries a prison term of not less than 180 days and up to five years, plus a $5,000 fine [S.C. Code, 2025].

The 26 animal-fighting counts point to something more organized than neglect. South Carolina’s Animal Fighting and Baiting Act, at S.C. Code Section 16-27-30, makes it a felony to own or keep an animal intending to fight or bait it, to stage or take part in a fight, or to keep a facility for that purpose [S.C. Code, 2025; Animal Legal & Historical Center, 2024]. Each count is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine [S.C. Code, 2025]. Crucially, the statute targets owners, trainers, and hosts — not mere spectators, who fall under a separate and lesser provision [S.C. Code, 2025]. Charges at this level signal a suspected organized dogfighting operation.

The firearm count fits a pattern that investigators nationally have documented repeatedly. Federal prosecutors and SLED have noted that guns frequently surface alongside organized dogfighting operations [US DOJ, 2024]. Chestnut’s charge — possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person prohibited — is the only count of its kind in this case; police have announced no drug or cash charges against any of the three men [HCPD, 2026]. It, too, remains an allegation.

A Repeat Subject and a Statewide Problem

Chestnut has faced similar allegations before. In 2023, he was arrested on 29 counts of ill treatment of animals and 36 counts of harboring animals for fighting after investigators reported finding 36 American pit bull terriers and dogfighting evidence at a Highway 57 South property near Wampee; court records in that earlier case spelled his first name “Jamar” [WPDE, 2023]. The outcome of that earlier case was not available for this report, and the 2023 counts remain prior charges, not a proven conviction.

The Longs case fits into a broader enforcement effort across South Carolina. SLED operates a dedicated dogfighting unit as part of a statewide push against the practice that has been building for years [SC Daily Gazette, 2025]. In February 2024, federal and state agencies carried out what prosecutors called the largest dogfighting takedown in state history — 305 dogs rescued, more than 20 people arrested, and roughly 30 guns and $40,000 seized across six Midlands counties [US DOJ, 2024].

That scale underscores why the anonymous-tip origin of the Longs case is significant. Investigations of this kind frequently begin with a single resident willing to report what they see.

What Happens to the 58 Dogs

The 58 seized dogs are currently in the care of a North Carolina-based dog-rescue organization, according to regional reporting; the organization’s name has not been published [WMBF, 2026; WPDE, 2026; ABC News 4, 2026]. The department has not released any description of the dogs’ condition.

State law provides the mechanism for removing the animals. Under S.C. Code Section 16-27-50, animals seized in a fighting or baiting case are considered cruelly treated and their owner deemed unfit, which allows the county to take custody pending the outcome of the case [S.C. Code, 2025]. From there, animals are typically routed to veterinarians and animal-welfare partners for care.

Historically, seized fighting dogs could be held for years as evidence. A 2025 state law now allows for faster placement and adoption of such animals [SC Daily Gazette, 2025]. Even so, the disposition of these particular dogs depends on the active case, and no adoption timeline has been announced.

Residents who want to report suspected animal cruelty or neglect can contact the Horry County Public Information Office and the Police Department’s Environmental Services Unit at (843) 915-5390, or through www.horrycountysc.gov [HCPD, 2026]. Tips can be made anonymously — as this case was.

An Active Investigation

Police say the investigation remains open and that additional charges and additional suspects are anticipated [HCPD, 2026; WBTW, 2026]. The three arrests made Friday may not be the last.

For now, the case will move through the Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, which prosecutes criminal matters in Horry County, and the three men will have their day in court. What began with one resident’s phone call has already produced more than 60 charges across the three men and put 58 dogs into safer hands, according to police [HCPD, 2026]. Whether the count grows will depend on where the investigation leads next. Anyone who suspects animal cruelty in their own neighborhood can start the same way the Longs case did — with a single call to (843) 915-5390.

Further Reading

Horry County Animal Cruelty Charges – Horry County Police Department / Horry County government: https://www.horrycountysc.gov

Horry County Animal Cruelty Charges – WMBF News — 3 arrested, dogs recovered after animal mistreatment investigation near Longs: https://www.wmbfnews.com/2026/07/17/3-arrested-dogs-recovered-after-animal-mistreatment-investigation-near-longs/

Horry County Animal Cruelty Charges – WPDE ABC15 — Three charged after monthlong animal cruelty probe rescues dogs in Horry County: https://wpde.com/news/local/three-charged-after-monthlong-animal-cruelty-probe-rescues-dogs-in-horry-county-property-rainbow-drive

Horry County Animal Cruelty Charges – ABC News 4 (WCIV) — 3 charged in ill treatment of animals investigation in Horry Co.: https://abcnews4.com/news/state/3-charged-in-ill-treatment-of-animals-investigation-in-horry-county-07172026-north-carolina-multiple-dogs-rainbow-drive-community-member-environmental-services

Horry County Animal Cruelty Charges – WBTW News 13 — 3 arrested in monthslong investigation into ill treatment of animals in Longs area: https://www.wbtw.com/news/grand-strand/horry-county/horry-county-police-conducting-investigation-at-address-off-highway-90/

Horry County Animal Cruelty Charges – WPDE — Jamar Chestnut 2023 case (36 pit bulls; harboring animals for fighting): https://wpde.com/news/local/man-served-with-36-counts-of-harboring-animals-for-fighting-in-horry-county-police-jamar-chestnut-j-reuben-long-detention-center

– S.C. Code Section 47-1-40 — Ill-Treatment of Animals: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t47c001.php

– S.C. Code Title 16, Chapter 27 — Animal Fighting and Baiting Act: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t16c027.php

– Animal Legal & Historical Center — South Carolina Animal Fighting and Baiting Act: https://www.animallaw.info/statute/sc-dogfighting-chapter-27-animal-fighting-and-baiting-act

– U.S. Department of Justice, District of S.C. — Joint Operation Targets Massive Dogfighting Conspiracy: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/joint-operation-targets-massive-dogfighting-conspiracy

– SC Daily Gazette — SLED rescued more than 200 dogs; 2025 quicker-adoption law: https://scdailygazette.com/2025/02/06/sled-rescued-more-than-200-dogs-last-year-a-new-law-allowed-for-their-quicker-adoption/