Fire chief pleads not guilty in puppy beating case

4:59 p.m. UPDATE

A Los Angeles County fire chief accused of beating his neighbor's puppy with a rock pleaded not guilty to a felony animal cruelty charge Tuesday in Riverside Superior Court.

Glynn Johnson, 54, of Riverside, did not speak during the brief arraignment hearing or make a statement before or after the hearing.

One of his attorneys entered the plea on his behalf as Johnson stood beside him in the courtroom. The attorney, John Sweeney, declined to comment after the hearing.

Johnson is accused of beating his next-door neighbor's 6-month-old puppy on Nov. 3, first with his fists and then with a 12-pound rock, after the dog left its yard in the 17000 block of Armintrout Drive.

The dog, named Karley, had to be euthanized following the attack. Johnson has said he acted in self defense.

View Larger Map

Johnson was arrested Dec. 16 and charged criminally for the incident. He posted $10,000 bail the day of his arrest and remains out of custody.

He faces up to four years in prison if convicted of the animal-cruelty charge, which carries a sentencing enhancement because Johnson used a rock.

Johnson is next due in court Feb. 20 for a status conference, where attorneys may agree to a date for a preliminary hearing.

About 50 people came to the courthouse Tuesday afternoon to protest Johnson, the first black man appointed to the position of Los Angeles County Fire Department division chief.

Johnson supervised stations in Pomona, Diamond Bar, Walnut, Industry, La Puente, Hacienda Heights and Rowland Heights.

He is on paid administrative leave from his position, said Inspector Sam Padilla, a fire department spokesman.

The family that owned Karley has filed a civil suit against Johnson seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress and loss of income over the incident, said Jeff Toole, the dog's owner, who came to the courthouse Tuesday along with his wife and two children.

An investigator working for Toole served Johnson with the lawsuit as he left the courthouse following Tuesday's hearing.

"He deserves everything that is coming to him," Toole said.

The crowd that gathered at the courthouse to protest Johnson gathered quietly before the hearing, with some holding signs with slogans such as "Justice 4 Karley."

The group, including Karley's owners, was unable to enter the courtroom to see the arraignment because the room was full. They instead waited in the hallway outside the courtroom.

When Johnson left the courtroom following the brief hearing, some in the group began hissing and others yelled at Johnson.

"You're an evil man," one woman yelled in Johnson's direction. "Put him in prison."

Some protestors followed Johnson for about two blocks after he left the courthouse and continued to yell at him. He was flanked by his two attorneys and other people who arrived with him in court.

Staff Writer Lori Consalvo contributed to this report.