Jurupa Valley Archives - i Still Love Dogs

Puppy Rescued after Car Chase Ready for Adoption

A 6-month-old Husky puppy found in an SUV after a high-speed police pursuit last month is now available for adoption from the Riverside County Animal Services shelter in Jurupa Valley, Calif.

When the pursuit ended, the puppy’s former owner, John Garcia, shot California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Felix Serpas, who survived and is recovering. The puppy has been named “Chip” in honor of Serpas, according to a news release.

Garcia was taken into custody and charged with attempted murder.

As you can imagine, the shelter has received many offers to adopt Chip, who is energetic and should be with someone who enjoys an active lifestyle. In other words, couch potatoes — and apartment dwellers — need not apply.

For the special adoption price of only $1 instead of the usual $105 fee, Chip can be yours. However, animal services staff is requesting that his adopter donates at least $104 to the nonprofit California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation, which provides financial assistance to CHP employees and their families in times of crisis.

“We believed that this puppy offered us a unique opportunity to do something for a fallen officer,” said Animal Services Director Robert Miller. “This incident was a horrible act against a peace officer. We hope this small gesture on our part – and the prospective adopters’ part – helps raise awareness about the dangers all officers face.”

Potential adopters are welcome to visit Chip at the Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter, and are also welcome to write a short, 500-word-or-less essay about why they want the Husky. Essays will be accepted through Sunday. They can be emailed to shelterinfo@rcdas.org or dropped off at the shelter, located at 6851 Van Buren Blvd. in Jurupa Valley.

Chip’s new pet parent(s) will be announced Monday, Oct. 5.

Photo: Riverside County Animal Services

Arrest Made in Southern California Animal Shelter Break-In

Just one day after Jason Johnson was identified as the suspect who broke into the Riverside County Animal Services shelter in Jurupa Valley, Calif., the loser has been arrested.

Johnson was taken into custody by deputies from the Jurupa Valley sheriff’s station at 1:30 a.m. today, according to a press release, and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. His bail was set at $5,000, the Press Enterprise reports.

According to Superior Court records obtained by the Press Enterprise, Johnson has a litany of prior drug-related convictions in Riverside County, including unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

The Press Enterprise reported yesterday that Johnson stole three Pit Bulls who were under quarantine and facing possible euthanasia. He then broke the locks on other cages to try to cover up his motives. Investigators believe Johnson knows the owners of the three Pit Bulls.

Shelter staff arrived around 6:30 a.m. Sunday to find seven dogs roaming free. Two dogs — a Chihuahua and a Yorkshire Terrier mix — were dead.

“We found blood spatter everywhere,” John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Animal Services, told KTLA.

Dr. Allan Drusys, Riverside County’s chief veterinarian, is performing necropsies on the two dogs to determine the cause of their deaths.

Surveillance footage showed Johnson using bolt cutters to slice through the locks on the cages.

Twelve dogs were initially reported missing. Seven were eventually found — but two of them, a German Shepherd and Pit Bull, had been hit by cars and killed.

A crime prevention analyst from the sheriff’s department is determining how to improve security at this and other animal shelters in Riverside County. Investigators believe Johnson may have climbed over a fence and broken the kennel locks without setting off an alarm.

Two non-profit organizations that work with the shelter — Animal Solutions Konnections (ASK) and Shelter Transport Animal Rescue Team (START) — offered a $35,000 reward to anyone with information that led to a conviction. The Humane Society of the United States announced yesterday it was also offering a $5,000 reward.

“The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department would like to thank the public and media for their assistance with this investigation that ultimately led to the apprehension of Jason Johnson,” the department said today.

Photo: Riverside County Sheriff’s Office

Suspect Identified in Southern California Animal Shelter Break-In

SEPT. 17, 2015 UPDATE: Jason Johnson has been arrested.

Have you seen this monster?

The suspect who broke into the Riverside County Animal Services shelter in Jurupa Valley, Calif., over the weekend, resulting in the deaths of at least four dogs, was named today as Jason Johnson, CBS Los Angeles reports.

Witnesses came forward and identified Johnson, who is still at large and facing counts of animal cruelty, burglary and vandalism.

According to the Press Enterprise, Johnson stole three Pit Bulls who were under quarantine and facing possible euthanasia. He then broke the locks on other cages to try to cover up his motives. Investigators believe Johnson knows the owners of the three Pit Bulls.

Shelter staff arrived around 6:30 a.m. Sunday to find seven dogs roaming free. Two dogs — a Chihuahua and a Yorkshire Terrier mix — were dead.

“We found blood spatter everywhere,” John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Animal Services, told KTLA.

“There were some blood markings that were about 3 feet off the ground. We don’t know exactly what caused that, but we don’t suspect that an animal jumped into the air and caused that blood splatter.”

Dr. Allan Drusys, Riverside County’s chief veterinarian, is performing necropsies on the two dogs to determine the cause of their deaths.

Surveillance footage showed Johnson using bolt cutters to slice through the locks on the cages. He broke into a total of 22 cages, leaving 15 of the locks stacked neatly in a pile.

Twelve dogs were initially reported missing. Seven were eventually found — but two of them, a German Shepherd and Pit Bull, had been hit by cars and killed.

“We’re in the business of trying to save lives, we’re in the business of getting animals back to their rightful owners,” Welsh told the Press Enterprise Sunday. “Our team was devastated.”

A crime prevention analyst from the sheriff’s department is determining how to improve security at this shelter and three others in Riverside County. Investigators believe Johnson may have climbed over a fence and broken the kennel locks without setting off an alarm.

Two non-profit organizations that work with the shelter — Animal Solutions Konnections (ASK) and Shelter Transport Animal Rescue Team (START) — offered a $35,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to a conviction. The Humane Society of the United States announced today it is also offering a $5,000 reward.

“Mr. Johnson is actively wanted,” sheriff’s Capt. Jason Horton told CBS Los Angeles. “That arrest warrant was walked through the court yesterday. It’s been entered into our system as being active, and several sheriff’s department investigators as we speak are actively attempting to track him down.”

Johnson, also known as Jason Neunzer, is white, 5-foot-8, 185 pounds, with medium-length brown hair and brown eyes. He may be driving a 2006 white Dodge Ram pickup with the license plate number 00064R1.

Anyone with information on Johnson’s whereabouts is asked to call Investigator T. Gonzales at the Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s station at 951-955-2600.

Photo via Twitter