A Former Newberry Police Officer has been charged in connection to a Dogfighting Investigation. SLED has charged 30-year-old Khadijah Caldwell Gaskins with misconduct in office, ill-treatment of animals and criminal conspiracy.
According to a warrant, Gaskins was a sworn Newberry police officer in May 2023, when she accessed a department database at the request of a co-defendant. The records involved men arrested at a dogfight in North Carolina.
Investigators say the co-defendant kept pit bull-type dogs in conditions consistent with dogfighting, and digital evidence indicated Gaskins knew about the activity. A March 2024 warrant alleges Gaskins knowingly committed ill-treatment of animals, including torture.
Dogs found on the Newberry property included one chained and covered in blood, as well as others with open wounds. The warrant says, Gaskins had a direct line of sight to the property, but took no action to help the animals.
Gaskins was booked into the Newberry County Detention Center. The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
