Suspended South Carolina Veterinarian Facing Felony Burglary Charge

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A prominent South Carolina veterinarian is facing a felony burglary charge, according to court records obtained by this news outlet.

Michael Sauer, 38, of Columbia, S.C. was arrested on Friday and charged with first degree burglary. This news outlet is investigating the circumstances surrounding his arrest. As of this writing, Sauer remains incarcerated at the Alvin S. Glenn detention center in Richland County awaiting a determination on his bond.

According to the S.C. Code of Laws (§ 16-11-311), first degree burglary can carry a term of life in prison.

A well-known local veterinarian, Sauer owns the Paws and Claws animal clinic in Lexington, S.C. Readers of this news outlet will recall Sauer was referenced in our news outlet last March after we received reports of a “heavy police presence” at his residence – which is located at 316 Silver Fox Lane in Richland County near Harbison State Forest.

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Richland sheriff’s department deputies declined to discuss what happened to Sauer last spring, citing medical privacy considerations which precluded them from providing “any details on the exact location or patient information for the call we received.”

“We can’t provide a comment in this instance and can only confirm RCSD responded to a home on Silver Fox Lane for a non-criminal matter,” a sheriff’s spokesperson told our director of special projects Dylan Nolan at the time.

Deputies had been dispatched to the same residence earlier that same week in response to another incident.

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According to a Facebook post from Paws and Claws, Sauer was reportedly “recuperating at home after dehydration from food poisoning.”

Five months after the incidents at his Richland County home last spring, Sauer’s license to practice veterinary medicine in the state of South Carolina was “temporarily suspended, effective immediately” by order (.pdf) of the S.C. Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, which is part of the S.C. Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation (SCLLR).

This news outlet is in the process of investigating the circumstances which led to Sauer’s suspension, as well as several other incidents at his home on Silver Fox Lane.

Stay tuned for more …

UPDATE | Sauer was allegedly high on nitrous oxide and wielding a hatchet at the time of the alleged burglary. Check out our latest report!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children.

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