Arizona: Chrison Johnson and his wife arrested, underweight dogs - one with an embedded collar - and children removed from home reeking of marijuana

ARIZONA -- Three pit bull terriers were taken to the Arizona Humane Society after Phoenix Police arrested a man Tuesday on suspicion of animal cruelty following a report that the animals were neglected and abused, according to court records.

Chrison Charale Johnson, 24, and his wife, whose name was not immediately available, were also arrested on suspicion child-abuse related charges after officers at the home said they noticed a strong odor of what they believed to be marijuana in the small house, said Officer James Holmes, a Phoenix police spokesman.

The couple's small children, 3 years old and just 10 days old, are now staying with a relative, Holmes said.

 

 

Police were called to Johnson's home between 36th and 37th Avenues on Encanto Boulevard about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday after officers received an anonymous tip about the dogs being abused, according to a police report.

Upon arrival, officers saw that there were three dogs that appeared malnourished and seemingly neglected and called the Humane Society, according to police records.

 

 

 

The three 1-year-old dogs -- Charles, King and Diamond -- were taken to the Humane Society's Sunnyslope campus where spokeswoman Ashliegh Goebel said they are being treated for undernourishment.

"Charles had an embedded collar on and was tied to a tree, so he has injuries on his neck as well as being malnourished," Goebel said as she played with the dog. "I call him a 'pocket pit' because he's smaller than average pit bulls."

The other dogs, King and Diamond, did not sustain injuries as severe as Charles' but are very underweight, Goebel said, with the outline of their rib-cages showing through their fur.

"He's a very sweet puppy," Goebel said as King jumped up and licked her face.

Goebel said vets are looking into the running tests and trying to determine what happened to the animals and those examinations will determine how the Humane Society handles the dogs.

 

ARREST INFO:

Full Name: Chrison Charale Johnson
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 170 lbs
Hair Color: BLACK
Eye Color: BROWN
Birthdate: 07/16/1990
Arrest Age: 24
Arrest Date: 01/20/2015
Location: Maricopa County, Arizona
Charges
#1 ANIMAL-CRUEL-NEGLECT-PHYS INJ
#2 ANIMAL-INTENTL CRUEL MISTREAT
#3 CONTRIB DELINQ/DEPEND OF MINOR

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(AZ Central - Jan 21, 2015)