LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — We have new details surrounding the suspects at the center of an animal abuse case involving a Las Vegas training facility.
John Johnstone and Tabitah Berube were arrested on felony animal cruelty charges after a weeks-long investigation into a Las Vegas dog training facility led police to remove 35 dogs from the business.
Channel 13 went to court Wednesday morning for the scheduled status check on the filing of the criminal complaint.
There, we learned Johnstone had been deported to Scotland, and the judge issued a bench warrant. The prosecutor also dropped the case against Berube.
We've been following this story for months after the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's Animal Cruelty Section served a search warrant at Working Dogs of Nevada on April 1.
According to Metro, the investigation began in early March after detectives received information about training practices believed to rise to the level of felony animal cruelty.
We learned from an arrest report that in one instance, investigators say a dog named Dottie was lifted by a leash until her feet were off the ground and then swung during training.
In another case, a dog named Jeb was subjected to repeated activations of an electronic collar while resisting commands.
Police say detectives found 35 dogs inside the business during the search warrant. The Animal Foundation later told our newsroom that 36 dogs were taken from the facility.
Videos obtained by our newsroom appear to show what may have been happening inside the business. In one clip, a dog appears to be kicked, then dragged by a leash while resisting and backing into a corner.
WARNING: This video may be disturbing to some viewers.
We are working to learn why the case against Berube was dropped and will bring you that information once we have received those details.
