Suspect in custody for Riverside County Animal Shelter break-in

JURUPA VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- Less than 24 hours after identifying the suspect, Jason Johnson was taken into custody for a break-in at the Riverside County Animal Shelter.

Johnson, 42, was arrested at 1:30 a.m. Thursday in the 2000 block of Adams Street in Riverside.

He is accused of breaking into the shelter in Jurupa Valley and cutting the locks on 22 kennels Sunday morning. The suspect was allegedly caught on surveillance video.

Not only did several dogs escape, four of them were found dead. A Chihuahua and a Yorkshire terrier were found dead at the facility. The causes of death for those dogs were unclear. The two other dogs, a German shepherd and a pit bull, were presumably hit by cars.

Investigators said Johnson went to the facility to take certain dogs, specifically pit bulls, being held in quarantine, potentially facing euthanasia. They did not confirm if one of the dogs belonged to him.

Johnson faces 22 counts of vandalism, one count of burglary and four counts of animal cruelty. He was booked and released Thursday after posting $5,000 bail. A court appearance has been scheduled for Monday.

Of all the dogs released from the shelter, three were still missing, including the dogs the suspect allegedly wanted to take.