A Los Angeles County assistant fire chief accused of pummeling his neighbor's 6-month-old puppy so severely it had to be euthanized is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Riverside County Superior Court.
Glynn Demon Johnson, 54, faces an animal cruelty charge, with sentence-enhancing allegations of using a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony in connection with the Nov. 3 incident.
Johnson maintains he was attacked by the dog and hit it only to prevent injury to himself.
The shepherd mix, Karley, had gotten loose from her owner's property in the 17000 block of Armintrout Drive in Woodcrest on the day of the incident and allegedly intercepted him and offered to return the animal himself. The neighbor, Travis Skaggs, handed Karley over and watched as Johnson walked her toward her owners' house. Skaggs told sheriff's investigators that Johnson turned and struck the dog, with no obvious provocation, "with his closed fist, 10-15 times."
According to an affidavit filed in support of an arrest warrant, Skaggs yelled at Johnson to stop and "even tried pulling him off Karley, but was pushed away."
Skaggs said Johnson tried to pry open the animal's jaws and then "picked up a rock and began striking Karley in the head," the affidavit stated.
The defendant left the dog alone after it went limp, Skaggs said. Karley was able to get on her feet and stumble to a ravine, where she was retrieved by her owners, Jeff and Shelley Toole, who rushed her to a veterinarian, authorities said. The vet told sheriff's investigators that Karley had a shattered skull and appeared to have a broken jaw. At the Tooles' request, the dog was euthanized.
During a news conference at his lawyer's Beverly Hills' office last month, Johnson told reporters he would "never harm a dog that posed no danger to me."
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He said while he was carrying the puppy home, it lashed out, biting down on his right thumb in a "vice-like grip" that required the fireman to defend himself.
Johnson's attorney, John E. Sweeney, argued Karley was a mature dog capable of inflicting harm on his client, whose "dominant hand was in the mouth of the dog, being shredded."
Sweeney said the Riverside County District Attorney's Office caved to pressure in charging Johnson. Several local protests were held, demanding Johnson face criminal charges, in the weeks immediately preceding the announcement that he would be charged.
Johnson has been placed on administrative leave from the fire department and is free on $10,000 bail.
