NEW INFORMATION: On Thursday, Hampton Police confirmed Carolyn Johnson, a lieutenant with the Hampton Sheriff’s Office, has also been charged in connection with this case. She faces eight counts of failure to provide duties of ownership and eight counts of animal cruelty.
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HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Hampton police have arrested a man in connection to an animal cruelty investigation.
Police arrested 59-year-old Michael Johnson on Tuesday and charged him with eights counts of animal cruelty, eight counts of failure to provide duties of ownership and four counts of dogfighting.
The investigation centers around conditions at a home on Ireland Street near Phoebus High School. According to a criminal complaint, an animal cruelty call prompted Hampton Animal Response Team (HART) officers to check out the Hampton home.
When officers arrived, Johnson wouldn’t let them look inside, so a search warrant was filed. On Tuesday morning, officers came back to get a look at the home.
“Yesterday, there were several police cars… also, the forensics truck. They were out there for several hours,” a neighbor, who didn’t want to be on camera, said.
An officer found four pit bulls and four pit bull puppies in poor condition. The dogs had rough and raw skin and were covered in fleas. The animal’s ears’ were also bleeding because of fly bites, according to court documents.
The criminal complaint details that the dogs would stay in kennels covered with feces. Some of the puppies didn’t have water or they would have dirty water and one dog didn’t have access to shelter.
Officers found things consistent with preparing dogs for fighting inside a shed. Inside the home, documents and items associated with breeding and conditioning a dog were found.
The neighbor was shocked to learn about the arrest. She said she’d never heard any dogs barking.
“As far as their home is concerned, I’ve never really heard no late night barking or whining or crying. I’ve never heard that,” she said.
She also saw a man coming over and taking stuff to the backyard.
“There is a gentleman who used to come and I would see him get dog food out of the car and take it to the back. As far as Michael is concerned, he wasn’t in a condition to really carry the bags and stuff,” she added.
HART officers removed the dogs from the home and took them to the Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter.
Police say the investigation is ongoing.
