Riverside Area Man Arrested in Animal Cruelty Case

A Riverside area man was arrested by Riverside County Sheriff's deputies on Thursday, Sept. 17 in connection with the burglary and vandalism of a County animal shelter and animal cruelty, including the death of two dogs.

Jason Johnson, 42, was taken into custody at 1:30 a.m. Thursday in the 2000 block of Adams Street in Riverside. He was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center. The investigation is ongoing, according to a news release from the Sheriff's Department.

Officers from the Jurupa Valley Police Department responded to a vandalism call at the Riverside County Animal Control Shelter in the 6800 block of Van Buren Boulevard at 7:50 a.m. on Sept. 13. According to authorities, a shelter employee arriving at the shelter that morning discovered multiple dogs loose at the location. The employee checked the area and noticed multiple dog kennels open and several kennel locks cut.

Investigators arrived on scene and assumed the investigation shortly thereafter. They discovered two dead small breed dogs, many other dogs missing, and several dog kennels that had been tampered with, which allowed other dogs to run loose.

Sheriff's Department officials issued a thank you to the public for its assistance in providing information that led to the arrest of Johnson.