Dogfighting
Re “Hampton sheriff ’s lieutenant charged with animal cruelty, 2 days after husband was arrested in same case”
(July 27): It was disturbing to read that a 24-year veteran of the Hampton Sheriff ’s Office, Lt. Carolyn Johnson, was charged with eight counts of animal cruelty and eight counts of failing to provide adequate care to numerous pit bulls kept at a property she owns with her husband, Michael Johnson Sr., who was charged with three felony counts related to dogfighting.
Carolyn Johnson holds a high-ranking post in the Sheriff ’s Office and is responsible for “safeguarding the public’s trust and promoting positive community relations by upholding the Constitution of the United States and the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” according to the Sheriff ’s Office’s website. Animal cruelty charges reflect a failure to deliver these responsibilities. If found guilty, she is unfit for duty. Her alleged actions, or lack thereof, allegedly failed the eight helpless pit bulls, Hampton citizens and the Sheriff ’s Office.
Johnson needs to answer whether she knew of her husband’s alleged involvement with dogfighting. Over her long law-enforcement career, Johnson likely heard charges and related testimony involving animal cruelty in court proceedings involving Hampton citizens. She knows right from wrong and needs to accept responsibility for her actions.
Michael Johnson Sr. nor any other resident at the house she owns should not be solely blamed for this situation.
— George West, Hampton