A South Carolina man is facing criminal charges for allegedly shooting a horse while hunting near the animal’s pasture in Aiken County.

Bobby Arthurs, chief enforcement officer for Aiken County Animal Control Department, said that on Nov. 28 the horse’s owner reported finding the 7-year-old Dutch Warmblood horse lying on his side in the pasture. The animal had sustained a gunshot wound to the side, Arthurs said. Sheriff’s deputies later discovered Samuel Stewart in a deer hunting tree stand located on a neighboring property where he was permitted to hunt. The horse was transported to the University of Georgia for treatment where he was later euthanized due to the severity of his wound.

Stewart was unavailable for comment.

Stewart was charged with one count of animal cruelty. If convicted, he could face fines of $1,092 and up to 60 days in jail, Arthurs said