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A suspended South Carolina veterinarian whose license remains under heavy restriction was arrested again last week in Lexington County, S.C. – adding to his ever-expanding list of criminal and professional issues.
According to jail records, suspended vet Michael Terence Sauer was booked into the Lexington County detention center on Saturday evening (May 17, 2025). A Facebook post containing a screenshot of his booking information indicated Sauer was charged with multiple offenses, including:
- Driving under the influence (DUI, first offense)
- Failure to stop for a blue light
- Sniffing aromatic hydrocarbons
- Hit-and-run involving property damage (two counts)
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Sauer, 40, was released on bond the following day (May 18, 2025). However, as of this publication, these charges have not yet appeared in the county’s public index. FITSNews has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department (LCSD) seeking additional details about Sauer’s arrest.
The latest charges against Sauer come two years after he was arrested in Richland County for first-degree burglary — a felony charge stemming from an incident in which he was reportedly high on nitrous oxide during a break-in attempt. The arrest marked the latest development in what has been a dramatic fall from grace for the former Lexington-area veterinarian.
In March of 2022, FITSNews reported on a “heavy police presence” at a Richland County residence belonging to Sauer near Harbison State Forest.
Deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) 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.
According to a Facebook post from Paws and Claws, Sauer was reportedly “recuperating at home after dehydration from food poisoning.”
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A PATTERN OF PROFESSIONAL AND LEGAL TROUBLE
Sauer’s legal and professional problems are nothing new. On August 29, 2022, the state’s Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners issued an emergency order (.pdf) temporarily suspending his veterinary license following evidence of serious misconduct at his Lexington, S.C.-based practice, Paws and Claws Animal Clinic.
A more comprehensive disciplinary order (.pdf) followed in September 2024, detailing findings from four cases spanning 2021 to 2023. This report accused Sauer’s practice of…
- Negligent treatment resulting in the deaths of two animals: a mauled cat named Momo and a Chihuahua named Tink, both of whom received substandard care at PCAC;
- Inadequate and falsified medical records, including discrepancies between documentation given to pet owners and later versions submitted to investigators;
- Failure to properly supervise his clinic, where unlicensed aides reportedly treated patients and administered medications in his absence;
- Criminal behavior, including the 2023 burglary arrest, which the board noted as a basis for sanctions.
The board determined Sauer’s conduct violated multiple provisions of state law and the American Veterinary Medical Association’s code of professional ethics. While the board imposed a two-year suspension of his license, that penalty was stayed under strict probationary terms — including a ban on prescribing controlled substances, a thirty-hour workweek cap and mandatory continuing education.
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RELATED | S.C. VET HIGH ON NITROUS OXIDE DURING ALLEGED BURGLARY
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Importantly, the board warned any substantial complaint filed against Sauer during the probationary period would result in the automatic reinstatement of the suspension.
It remains unclear whether the S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (SCLLR) will respond to this new arrest by enforcing the suspension of Sauer’s license.
As with anyone accused of committing any crime, Sauer is considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as he may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against him.
FITSNews will continue to monitor Sauer’s legal proceedings, regulatory status and the outcome of our pending FOIA request. Stay tuned for updates…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Jenn Wood is FITSNews’ incomparable research director. She’s also the producer of the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts and leading expert on all things Murdaugh/ South Carolina justice. A former private investigator with a criminal justice degree, evildoers beware, Jenn Wood is far from your average journalist! A deep dive researcher with a passion for truth and a heart for victims, this mom of two is pretty much a superhero in FITSNews country. Did we mention she’s married to a rocket scientist? (Lucky guy!) Got a story idea or a tip for Jenn? Email her at jenn@fitsnews.com.
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1 comment
Who did this poor guy piss off to land in FITS? A vet with some shoddy work and a clinical/prescription drug problem gets a full write-up? I guess one of the owners of the two animals that died – but if not them then seems like there is some personal vendetta going on here. Maybe he is a grade-A jerk who needed some comeuppance, but one can’t really tell.