Tant v. South Carolina Department of Corrections

David Ray Tant appeals the decision of the South Carolina Department of Corrections to change its interpretation of his sentence from fifteen years to thirty years. SCDC claims it merely corrected the sentence to reflect the sentencing judge’s intent. The Administrative Law Court affirmed SCDC’s interpretation. We reverse.

Tant pled guilty to assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature (ABHAN), possession of a dangerous animal, and forty-one counts of owning an animal for the purpose of fighting or baiting. On November 22, 2004, the trial judge sentenced Tant. The sentencing sheets…