Soldier charged after 24 dead animals found in apartment

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – An Army staff sergeant has been arrested after police found 24 dead animals in his abandoned apartment in South Carolina.

The State reports 36-year-old Kurt Hafner was being evicted from his apartment April 10 when Richland County Sheriff’s deputies found the carcasses of a bearded dragon, two alligator snapping turtles, a variety of snakes and a dog.

An animal abuse investigator for the department, Sgt. Joe Clarke, says the apartment floors were covered in dog feces, garbage, ammunition and personal items.

Hafner is a staff sergeant at Fort Jackson and was a rappelling instructor. Authorities say he abandoned the apartment in February, leaving the animals without food or water. He was turned over to the sheriff’s department Wednesday and faces 24 counts of ill treatment of animals. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer.

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