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Inset: Chavas Rhodes (North Charleston police). Background: Apartment complex in North Charleston, South Carolina, where Rhodes allegedly threatened his children and killed the family dog (Google Maps).
A South Carolina man is behind bars after allegedly telling his three children they were “going to die” and shooting the family chihuahua to death.
Chavas Rhodes, 30, is facing a variety of charges, such as burglary, kidnapping, animal cruelty, and improper behavior towards a child, according to the North Charleston Police Department’s statement. The events took place around 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday on the 6500 block of Dorchester Road. An incident report obtained by Law&Crime indicates Rhodes unlawfully entered the apartment shared by his children and their mother while she was still in the parking area.
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According to one of the children, Rhodes allegedly came in through an unlocked entrance and threatened, “All of you are going to die tonight.” As stated in the affidavit, two of the youngsters dashed into a bedroom and hid beneath a bed. The family’s dog, Logan, a chihuahua rat-terrier mix, began barking at Rhodes, who then fatally shot the pet, according to police reports.
Rhodes walked into the bedroom and ordered the two kids to leave with him. The other child used the opportunity to run out of the apartment for help, cops said. Rhodes put a blanket over the two kids” heads, but one of them saw the dog’s body and “dropped to the ground crying and saying she was not going with the suspect,” cops wrote.
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“The suspect became more irritated, told the juveniles to get in the closet and if they called anyone he would hurt them,” the affidavit said.
One of the kids called their mother from the closet, who came running to the apartment. Rhodes allegedly pointed a gun at her before jumping off a balcony and running away.
Cops eventually caught Rhodes and arrested him. They found a gun he used in some nearby bushes, per the affidavit. Rhodes also appeared to be intoxicated, officers noted.
The mother of the children, who are under the age of 10, has a domestic violence injunction against Rhodes.
“The victim and her minor children are deathly terrified of Mr. Rhodes,” a victim’s advocate told a judge Tuesday morning, according to The Post and Courier newspaper.
Rhodes is currently being held at the Al Cannon Detention Center without bond.
