Puppy severely beaten, resulting in death
Riverside, CA (US)Incident Date: Monday, Nov 3, 2008
County: Riverside
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Glynn Thomas Johnson
Upcoming Court Dates:
» Tuesday, Jan 13, 2009: arraignment
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
How can any human being just murder a puppy for no reason?" dogowner Shelley Toole says fighting through tears.
Her family can't sleep.
They say Monday, their next-door neighbor, in some kind of violent rage, beat their puppy so badly the dog had to be put down.
Karley was a six-month old shepherd mix.
What may surprise many people is the fact that the neighbor is Los Angeles County Assistant Fire Chief Glynn Johnson.
An online biography lists a stellar 30-year career with the department. It says he's an expert in counter-terrorism, among other areas.
But his neighbors of the last ten years have a very different picture of the man. Jeff Toole, Shelley's husband, says he believes Chief Johnson "needs a lot of help."
Riverside County investigators tell KTLA the fire chief admits to beating the dog -- but says it was in self-defense because Karley attacked him viciously.
The Tooles say Monday evening, Karley got out and went to neighbor Travis Staggs' home. He lives on the other side of Chief Johnson's house.
Staggs says he was walking Karley home when Johnson stepped in and said he would take the dog back home.
Staggs says he reluctantly handed over the puppy, and that's when it happened in Johnson's front yard.
Travis Staggs tells KTLA that Glynn Johnson simply started beating the dog, and that the dog had not attacked Johnson first.
According to this witness, Johnson hit the dog repeatedly with a closed fist, put his hands in the puppy's mouth and tried to break its jaws, and eventually beat the dog over the head repeatedly with a large rock from the front yard.
Staggs says he tried to stop the attack but couldn't. The Toole family later decided to have Karley put down because of the extent of her injuries.
"It scares me, knowing I live next-door to this man," says Travis Staggs.
The Tooles say they will take civil action against the assistant fire chief regardless of the outcome of the criminal investigation.
Riverside County deputies tell KTLA they are conducting more interviews with witnesses in an attempt to determine what really happened in this case. If detectives find enough evidence that the dog beating was unwarranted, they will hand the case over to the district attorney for a possible animal cruelty charge, which is a felony.
The Tooles say there is a "history of violence" with Glynn Johnson, and deputies say they are looking into these claims as well.
"This man needs to go to prison for what he did," says Shelley Toole. She adds, "Karley was my baby, and he took her away from me."
Case UpdatesAfter weeks of protest and outrage, dozens of demonstrators Thursday celebrated the arrest of Los Angeles County Assistant Fire Chief Glynn Johnson, who stands accused of savagely beating a neighbor's puppy last month with a rock.
Carrying signs saying "Jail the Puppy Killer!," about 50 people marched in front of the Riverside County district attorney's office chanting, "Thank you, D.A.; now make Johnson pay."
Johnson, 54, was arrested Tuesday, charged with one count of felony animal cruelty and the use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a felony. He was released on $10,000 bail and faces up to four years in jail if convicted in the beating of 6-month-old Karley, a shepherd mix.
Johnson, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, reportedly told investigators that he acted in self-defense.
For the last few weeks, protesters have rallied in front of the district attorney's office. Some believe Johnson's status as a fire chief won him special treatment. They are demanding that he be fired.
"There were witnesses to this crime, and sheriff's deputies could have arrested him that day," said Jeffrey Toole, who co-owned Karley with his wife, Shelley. "Did he get special treatment? Yes, he did. If I had done that to his dog, I guarantee you I'd be in jail that day."
Assistant Dist. Atty. Chuck Hughes said the arrest took time because more investigation was needed.
"He was not afforded any special treatment and his employment played no role in when we filed charges," Hughes said. "When a case gets submitted we review it. . . . If more evidence is needed, we send it back."
The incident has generated national attention and served as a rallying cry for those seeking harsher penalties against animal abusers. Hundreds of people from around the nation have called the Tooles offering support.
The family has set up a website (justice4karley.com), and a group of retired Los Angeles County firefighters has established a fund to help pay legal costs as the family pursues a civil case against Johnson.
"We had no idea we would get this kind of support," Toole said. "We would like to see the laws change. I'd equate losing Karley with losing a child, and I want to see Johnson get the maximum punishment."
This isn't the family's first run-in with Johnson.
Shelley Toole called deputies in August 2000, saying Johnson shot her dog Kahlua above the eye with a pellet gun. The deputy, she said, told her that it would be her word against his and advised her not to pursue the case.
Bryan Monell, a senior investigator with Last Chance for Animals, a Los Angeles group specializing in animal cruelty cases, has interviewed residents in Johnson's neighborhood who say their dogs have gone missing or have been shot with pellet or BB guns.
Chris DeRose, founder of Last Chance For Animals, said that in his 30 years of investigating animal cruelty cases, this was one of the worst beatings he'd seen.
"When you see something like this you got to take a stand," he said. "To me, it's not just an animal issue, it's a people issue."
The incident happened Nov. 3 in an unincorporated area near Riverside.
Travis Staggs, a friend of the Toole family, said he was returning with Karley from a walk when Johnson approached and asked if he could take the dog the rest of the way home.
"He walked maybe 100 feet with the dog and that's when it happened," said Shelley Toole, who had discussed the incident with Staggs but had not seen it herself.
"Travis saw Karley on her back and Glynn punching her with his closed fist at least 10 times to her head. He then literally pulled her jaws apart until they broke."
Staggs told police that Johnson then hit Karley more than 10 times in the head with a rock.
Staggs called 911. Not long after, Johnson's wife called 911 reporting that her husband had been attacked by a dog.
Karley's nasal cavity was crushed, her skull cracked in three places, her ear canal collapsed and one of her eyes lost, according to the veterinarian's report.
"The vet told me, 'We can try to save her, but if she survives she will have permanent brain damage and may not be able to function,' " said Shelley Toole, who chose to have the dog euthanized.
"She was never an aggressive dog. All she wanted to do was play. We took her to the river and she rode in the boat with her head over the railing. She loved the water."
Johnson, a 31-year veteran of the fire department, was treated at a local hospital for injuries to his wrist and thumb that he said he got when Karley bit his hand.
Johnson was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the case, said Inspector Sam Padilla, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
"He hasn't been convicted of anything yet, so he can't be fired," said Padilla. "It's called due process. What other people say is just their personal opinion. But you can't hold a badge if you have a felony conviction."
Johnson is scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 13 at 1:30 p.m. | Source: Los Angeles Times - Dec 19, 2008
Update posted on Dec 19, 2008 - 10:19AM |
A Los Angeles County Fire Department division chief is being investigated for beating his neighbor's dog and causing injuries that led to the animal's euthanizing.
Glynn Johnson, 54, supervises stations in Pomona, Diamond Bar, Walnut, Industry, La Puente, Hacienda Heights and Rowland Heights.
Riverside County sheriff's deputies Monday afternoon received two calls from the 17000 block of Armintrout Drive in Riverside, according to a sheriff's news release.
A woman called and said her husband was attacked by a dog, and a man called and said his neighbor had beaten a dog with a large rock.
A witness told deputies that his neighbor had beaten a dog belonging to another resident, according to the news release.
Before the beating, the witness found the dog near his home and decided to return the animal to its owner.
When he attempted to return the dog to its home, Johnson intervened and offered to return the dog for him.
Johnson lives next door to the dog's owner, according to the news release.
After giving the dog to Johnson, the witness told deputies he saw Johnson beat the dog with his hands.
The witness also reported seeing Johnson use a rock to hit the dog.
The owner took the dog to a veterinarian, where it was euthanized, according to the news release.
A deputy spoke to Johnson at a hospital, where he was being treated for wrist and thumb injuries.
He told deputies the dog attacked him and that he struck it in self-defense.
Johnson has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Johnson, a 31-year veteran of the Fire Department, told his supervisors he acted in self-defense.
The Fire Department did not release any further information.
Fire officials will wait until the sheriff's investigation is completed before they take any action, according to the news release.
Johnson declined to comment when reached by phone Friday afternoon. His attorneys have advised him not to talk about the incident. | Source: Daily Bulletin - Nov 8, 2008
Update posted on Nov 9, 2008 - 5:52PM |
A Riverside teenager who left home to run an errand came home 20 minutes later to find paramedics, police and a firetruck outside his home. A neighbor took him to see the family dog, beaten and bleeding under a bush.
The female dog, a 6-month-old shepherd mix named Karley, allegedly was beaten by a neighbor, Los Angeles County Assistant Fire Chief Glynn Johnson, who was placed on administrative leave Friday while the incident is investigated.
FOR THE RECORD:
Dog beating: A headline on an article in Saturday's California section about the beating of a dog in Riverside said that a Los Angeles County fire official had been arrested in the case. The official, Assistant Fire Chief Glynn Johnson, was not arrested. He was placed on administrative leave from his job.
Johnson reportedly told investigators that he had acted in self-defense.
Karley was euthanized a few hours after the incident, which occurred about 4:30 p.m. Monday.
Karley apparently had run across Johnson's yard and into the next yard.
Travis Staggs said he started walking the dog home from his yard when Johnson offered to take Karley home.
"Then something in his head snapped and he started beating the dog," Staggs said.
Johnson allegedly punched Karley with a closed fist about a dozen times and then beat her with an 11-inch rock, Staggs said, adding that he tried to stop Johnson but was pushed away.
Authorities received two calls from the 17000 block of Armintrout Drive: one from a woman who said her husband was attacked by a dog, and another from a man who said his neighbor had beaten a dog, Riverside County Sheriff's Sgt. David Barton said in a statement.
After Brandon Toole, 19, saw the injured dog, his 17-year-old sister, Heather, rushed the animal to a veterinarian, and later an animal intensive care unit.
Karley was euthanized because she was so badly injured, said Jeff Toole, the teenagers' father.
"I can't describe the way [Karley] looked and the pain she was in," Brandon Toole said.
Police said Johnson was taken to a hospital for wrist and thumb injuries.
Jeff Toole said the thumb puncture occurred when Johnson grabbed Karley's mouth and broke her jaw.
Johnson told his bosses about the incident, which he described as self-defense, said Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman.
"The Los Angeles County Fire Department is deeply concerned with allegations regarding Assistant Chief Glynn Johnson's actions in the beating of his neighbor's dog," Freeman said in a statement.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department is investigating. Malicious and intentional injuring of an animal is a felony.
The Toole family said Karley was a well-behaved dog.
"We are going to have to find another place to live," Jeff Toole said. | Source: LA Times - Nov 8, 2008
Update posted on Nov 9, 2008 - 5:50PM |
References« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
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