Affirmative Action Firefighter beats puppy
http://pysih.com/2009/02/18/glynn-johnson/
Glynn Johnson, 54, is a The 31-year veteran of the
Los Angeles County Fire Department, supervising stations in Pomona, Diamond Bar, Walnut, Industry, La Puente, Hacienda Heights and Rowland Heights, California.
Johnson, a Los Angeles native, followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, a
Los Angeles Police Department detective, and was the
first black cadet in the El Segundo Police Department at age 18. He earned an associate degree in police science at El Camino College, went to work as a LAPD officer in the Hollywood division for two years when he decided that the
county Fire Department could better satisfy his urge for protecting others.
He completed training at the Fire Academy, joined the county department as a regular firefighter in 1978, and later earned a
bachelor’s degree in organizational management at the University of Redlands and a master’s in education from Pepperdine University.
After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Department of Justice and Homeland Security
recruited Johnson for the Chemical, Ordnance, Biological and
Radiological national defense team. For three years, he taught fire chiefs, police chiefs and command officers how to respond to terrorist attacks, adding the federal responsibility to his county duties.
Johnson earned a commendation from the county Board of Supervisors for helping rescue a woman and her infant son from floodwaters in San Dimas Canyon in January 2005.
However, in
November 2008, Johnson would face his greatest challenge ever:
safely walking a lo
vable 6-month-old shepherd mix named Karley back to her home.
Brandon Toole, 19, left home to run an errand and returned 20 minutes later to find paramedics, police and a firetruck outside his home and his beloved
family dog, Karley, beaten and bleeding under a bush. The female dog, a 6-month-old shepherd mix was allegedly
beaten by Toole’s neighbor, Los Angeles County Assistant Fire Chief Glynn Johnson.
Karley apparently had run across Johnson’s yard and into the next yard. Another neighbor,
Travis Staggs, said he started walking the dog home from his yard when
Johnson offered to take Karley home, for
Johnson was once quoted saying that, “Service to humanity is a joy and a responsibility,"�
“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 Jo
hnson but was pushed away.
Brandon Toole and his sister Heather rushed their injured dog to a veterinarian and later an
animal intensive care unit. “I can’t describe the way Karley looked and the pain she was in,"� Brandon Toole said. Karley was
euthanized a few hours after the incident. Karley was euthanized because she was
so badly injured, said Jeff Toole, the teenagers’ father.
Johnson reportedly told investigators that he had
acted in self-defense and 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. This is the full statement from Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman:
“The Los Angeles County Fire Department is deeply concerned with allegations re
garding Assistant Fire Chief Glynn Johnson’s actions in the beating of his neighbor’s dog.
Prior to the news reports, Chief Johnson had advised his superiors of the incident and explained his actions as self-defense. Given the nature of the allegations and the ongoing Riverside County Sheriff’s investigation, Chief Johnson has been placed on
administrative leave (with pay). Once more facts are available, the Department will take appropriate action as warranted.
There will be no further information available by the Department until the investigation is completed"�
For several days the Riverside County Sheriff Department Perris Station reported that it had
difficulty contacting Johnson. It took several attempts for Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigators to reach him; when they did, they say he
refused to participate in an interview.
According to Riverside County Court Records, (soon to be former) Assistant Fire Chief Glynn Johnson was charged
with Animal Cruelty with the Serious Felony Enhancement. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. Johnson faces
four years in prison if convicted and is free on $10,000 bail.
“Firefighters live and work in the community and are highly visible. It feels good to be in a grocery store, doctor’s office or restaurant and people come up to you and say `thank you’ or kids stop by the station to say hello"�,
Johnson once said.
Does Glynn Johnson Deserve Hell? Bark Once For Yes, Twice For No.
Woof!
