An executive member of the Horry County Humane Society’s board of directors, board Secretary Margaret Evans, resigned form the board Tuesday, the third member to quit since the county animal shelter discovered a deadly viral outbreak in the facility in December.

Horry County Council’s Public Safety Committee met Wednesday to decide the future of the Humane Society at the county’s animal shelter. Council has launched an investigation into the HCHS board of director’s handling of tax dollars.

Horry County officials took control of the county’s animal shelter Friday after the shelter closed Dec. 8 after a deadly canine virus led to 117 dogs being euthanized. Councilman Al Allen told News13 he wants the shelter audited and investigated.

The Horry County Humane Society’s Board of Directors voted Wednesday night to reopen the group’s shelter, one month to the day after it was closed due to a deadly distemper outbreak.

Horry County councilman Al Allen told News13 he will ask county council to have the shelter audited before turning any tax dollars over to the Horry County Humane Society. Allen said the main issue between the shelter and the county is accountability. 

After closing the Horry County animal shelter on Dec. 8 after a deadly Canine Distemper Virus outbreak, the Horry County Humane Society has kept the shelter closed awaiting repairs, tax money from the county. The shelter’s interim director said the shelter is ready to open, the board disagrees.

After closing more than three weeks ago, the Horry County animal shelter reopened to animal control officers late Wednesday afternoon. Humane Society officials said they reopened the shelter with serious repairs left unfinished.

The interim director of the animal shelter met Monday with half of the county Humane Society’s board of directors at a Conway restaurant in a meeting that was not open to the public. The HCHS still has no date to reopen the county’s shelter.

The animal shelter run by the Horry County Humane Society will remain closed despite assurances from the new interim executive director that it is ready to reopen following an outbreak of a fatal canine virus.

The Horry County Humane Society’s Board of Directors met Wednesday night to address the outbreak of the deadly Canine Distemper Virus and when the shelter plans to reopen. Shelter officials said the problem stems from the lack of a facility to isolate animals in the shelter.

Horry County council chairwoman Liz Gilland spoke to the Horry County Humane Society Board Wednesday night just before all 9 members voted to fire shelter director Renee Macklen. Gilland called the distemper situation a “horrible” event.

A Longs man adopted a dog from the Horry County animal shelter the same day a Clemson lab notified shelter officials of a confirmed case of distemper in a dog sheltered there. The shelter didn’t close until Dec. 8 to address the deadly virus.

The president of the Horry County Humane Society issued a third press release on the distemper outbreak at the Horry County animal shelter. The shelter closed Dec. 8 and remained closed Monday.

One of the 10 members of the Horry County Humane Society’s Board of Directors resigned from the board days before News13 broke news of a deadly virus outbreak at the county shelter. Former board member, Lisa Cleary said her resignation had nothing to do with the distemper crisis at the facility.

The Horry County Humane Society’s board of directors issued a press release Thursday. The board said only one case of distemper was found at the shelter and wasn’t aware of the Oct. 27 case.