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
Case Updates: 5 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 UpdatesOne puppy's untimely death might prompt California courts to reconsider how they perceive pets as property.
The change won't bring Karley, a German Shepherd-mix, back to life, but it will ensure that her death was not in vain, her owners Jeff and Shelley Toole, of Riverside, Calif., say.
"Our neighbor killed a living, breathing being," Shelley Toole said. "She had feelings, she felt pain. She was not a couch, a car or any other piece of property. We're trying to find out what we can do, now, to make a difference, to change that."
Six-month-old Karley, a rescue dog, died in November 2008, allegedly at the hands of her family's neighbor, Glynn Johnson, 54, a recently retired Los Angeles County assistant fire chief.
The Tooles' 17-year-old daughter, Heather, let Karley out into the family's fenced-in backyard on Nov. 3. The dog allegedly soon after escaped from the yard and was found by neighbor Travis Skaggs. Skaggs went to return Karley to her property, but was intercepted by Johnson, who said he would take the dog back himself.
According to Skaggs' affidavit, he then witnessed Johnson strike the 42-pound puppy "with his closed fist, 10 to 15 times."
Skaggs chased after Johnson, but he was "pushed away" by the fire chief.
The level of abuse worsened from that point, Jeff Toole says.
"Glynn had Karley by the jaws and was prying her mouth apart, breaking her jaws," Toole said. "He started hitting her in the head with a river rock ... about three times."
Skaggs told police the defendant released Karley after her body went limp; the dog then stumbled to a nearby ravine and collapsed. Shortly after, Heather Toole and her 18-year-old brother, Brandon, found Karley in critical condition and rushed her to a veterinarian.
Karley suffered a fractured skull, brain swelling, crushed nasal passage, broken jaws and an injured eye; her family decided to euthanize her after the vet offered little hope for a full recovery.
"The trauma vet said that there was no way, that even with a minimum of 25 surgeries, the dog would never be the same," Jeff Toole said. "We chose to not let the dog suffer anymore."
Karley's unprecedented death, though, was just the beginning of her ongoing saga.
Johnson has since pleaded innocent to killing the dog, saying he acted in self defense. During a news conference in January, he told NBC that he would "never harm a dog that posed no danger to me."
He also said that while he was carrying Karley, she bit his right thumb and latched on in a "vise-like grip," prompting him to defend himself.
Though police responded to the crime scene shortly after the November incident, Johnson was not charged with aggravated animal cruelty until Dec. 16, 2008.
Leading up to that arrest, the Toole family -- and their many supporters -- spent seven weeks campaigning outside of the L.A. District Attorney's office, demanding Johnson be held accountable for his actions.
The police's lack of immediate response was especially upsetting to Brandon Toole, who wrote detailed e-mails to various media outlets about Karley's attack a day after her death.
Shortly after he penned the notes, Brandon was overwhelmed with interview requests, his mother says. In addition to ongoing publicity, Karley also had three candlelight vigils hosted in her name. Nearly 400 people turned out two weeks ago to the latest memorial in Huntington Beach, Calif.
"We were extremely surprised, and are still amazed, at how many people this has touched," Shelley Toole said. "This is still going nationwide and even international -- we get e-mails every day from people who have just heard the story.
"The support has actually really kept us going."
Karley even elicited support from British singer Maria Daines, who recently recorded a song in honor of the pooch.
"Karley in the sunshine/Karley we call your name/ Karley for the good times/ There's gonna come a brighter day/ The one who hurt you gotta pay/ Justice gotta be the word we pray," Daines wrote in "Karley's Song."
In January, the single rose to the top of Independent Artist Community, or IAC, music charts.
Though community involvement and help from animal welfare organizations has helped ease the family's pain, their battle against cruelty -- and Johnson -- is not nearly complete, they say.
Jeff Toole said he would like see that "Glynn Johnson gets convicted of animal cruelty and faces a felony conviction."
"I'd like to see that he does jail time," Toole continued. "That this law gets passed. I'd love to say that I'd like to see Karley get brought back home, but that is never going to happen."
Though the case is now in the courts' hands, Jeff Toole says that he is still able to effectively direct his energy elsewhere, focusing on a new bill the Animal Legal Defense Fund is helping to draft.
"Karley's Law" could alter the way in which animals are considered in court; now, in almost all states, they are regarded as a piece of property, worth only what their owners initially paid for them.
Realizing that Karley's significance to the Toole family was a moot point in court "hurt," Jeff Toole said.
"To be told that your dog is just like your kitchen table doesn't make sense. It's crazy. I couldn't understand that," he said.
"Karley was a family member. I never thought I would lose a family member, but I did. It's hard to explain what that means to people what you go through. I would never wish this experience on anybody."
The ALDF's legislative director, Stephan Otto, says a preliminary draft of the bill will be completed in a few weeks. While the bill won't reverse an animal's legal status as a property item, it will allow for more leeway in court cases involving pets.
"This is one of the areas where the legal system has not caught up to our societal values and we are working to change that ... to give people their day in court," Otto said.
"Instead of being able to get the replacement market value of a dog, we are trying to get additional compensation for the full loss of the pet. Certainly, those of us who have animals know that our animals are not something that can go and be replaced that easily. It's an emotional bond, a relationship we share."
The Toole family's connection to Karley has not wavered, they say. Their pain is also augmented by Johnson's constant lingering presence -- since he was released on a $10,000 bail, he has been living at home.
"Every time I go outside it reminds me of what happened, and there is just the fear that if he was capable of doing that, what else is he going to do?" questioned Shelley Toole. "I live in fear everyday. And there have been a lot of nights where the kids and I have had nightmares over this, over him."
The family adopted a new dog, a 1-year-old Golden Retriever named Bella, in December. Bella is not allowed to go outside by herself now, even to briefly roam the Tooles' fenced-in backyard.
"Unfortunately, it's not the best of situations," Shelley Toole admitted.
Yet the family is not willing to take any chances on the dog that has "helped heal my heart," Shelley Toole said.
Johnson's preliminary court hearing will be held on April 13.
NBC and KTLA News contributed to this article. | Source: ZooToo - March 29, 2009
Update posted on Mar 30, 2009 - 1:00AM |
A former Los Angeles County assistant fire chief who was charged with a felony after hitting a dog with a rock has sued the animal's owners, his attorney said Thursday.
Glynn Johnson, 54, has pleaded not guilty to felony animal cruelty stemming from his Nov. 3 clash with Karley, a 6-month-old German shepherd mix that was euthanized due to its injuries.
Johnson's lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Riverside County Superior Court, claims negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He is seeking unspecified damages from the owners.
According to Johnson's attorney, John E. Sweeney, the dog had gotten loose and was on Johnson's property when the fire official took it by the collar and started walking it back to the home of its owners, Jeff and Shelley Toole.
"When the dog saw he was being led back to his own house, he started thrashing about," Sweeney said. "He got Glynn Johnson's thumb in his mouth and nearly tore the tip off."
Sweeney said Johnson picked up a rock and hit the dog.
"He only hit him twice, as soon as the dog was hit a couple of times, he let go and ran away," Sweeney said.
Sweeney said his client's thumb was scarred and appeared to have permanent nerve damage.
A message left with Shelley Toole was not immediately returned, though Karley's owners depict events differently.
Their Web site, justice4karley.com, displays a TV news story that says Johnson beat the animal without it first attacking him.
The Web site shows pictures of a playful looking puppy, but Sweeney said the dog was big enough to inflict serious damage.
"This was a mature dog with adult dog teeth," he said. "We have a picture of the teeth, these are clearly not a puppy's teeth."
Sweeney said Johnson had a stellar, 31-year career at the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Because he was charged with a felony he was placed on administrative leave.
He decided to retire last month, a year or so earlier than he'd originally planned, in part because of the case.
"His life has been turned upside down," Sweeney said. "This was a man ready to retire with dignity ... and he goes out the back door of the Fire Department because of these allegations."
An online petition demanding felony animal charges be brought against Johnson received 14,000 responses.
Johnson faces four years in prison if convicted. He is free on $10,000 bail.
His lawsuit claims the Tooles should be held liable for the dog bite, and for causing emotional distress by pressing for the criminal charges. | Source: Mercury News - Feb 13, 2009
Update posted on Feb 16, 2009 - 4:41PM |
After 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 |
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