South Carolina man says ‘witches’ commanded him to toss dog over bridge: police

A man accused of twice tossing a dog over a bridge said he was instructed to do by witches, according to police. 

Spartanburg County Environmental Enforcement Officers responded to a call Monday, October 3, 2022, of someone tossing a dog from a bridge over water located on Highway 11 in the Fingerville area of Spartanburg County. 

A witness told officers that a man was tossing a dog off and over the bridge. Officers searched in the area below the bridge and found a man – later identified as 43-year-old Shannon Lee Cantrell – holding a dog in a choke hold. 

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Cantrell told the officers that “witches” told him to throw the dog from the bridge. Police said the dog was thrown twice and wet from being in the water below. Cantrell told the officers that the dog was his and released ownership to Spartanburg County. 

Officers determined the distance from the bridge to the ground was approximately 34 feet. The one-year-old dog did not show any visible signs of injury but was “clearly shaken” by the incident, police said. The dog was transported to Greenville County Animal Care for assessment. 

Deputies with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office arrested Cantrell and transported him to the Spartanburg County Dentition Center. He faces an animal cruelty charge.