NEWBERRY, S.C. — A former Newberry, S.C., police officer has been charged by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division with misconduct in office, ill treatment of animals and criminal conspiracy, officials said Monday, Oct. 5.
Khadijah Caldwell Gaskins, 30, once worked for the Newberry Police Department. According to charging details summarized by local authorities, investigators say that in May 2023 she improperly obtained information from department records and shared a news article link about men arrested at an active dogfight, along with a photo of internal record-search results, with someone she knew was involved in dogfighting.
A March 2024 search of her cellular data showed records of dogs kept in dangerous and poor conditions and images of deceased dogs and dogs with apparent injuries, officials said. Investigators said kennels holding the dogs were in view from her home and that she made no effort 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.
SLED released warrant details with the charging announcement and said media questions should go to its public information office.