The Working Dogs of Nevada animal abuse case has effectively unraveled after a Las Vegas Justice Court hearing on June 24 revealed that the primary suspect has been deported and prosecutors dropped the charge against a second employee.
A judge confirmed in court that trainer John Johnstone “has been deported and is in Scotland.” ICE officials told Fox5 Las Vegas that Johnstone was removed from the United States on May 4, and the court will issue a bench warrant.
Three of the four felony animal cruelty charges Johnstone was facing had already been dropped before his deportation.
The remaining charge now hangs in limbo with a bench warrant as his only legal consequence.
Prosecutors also declined to pursue the sole animal abuse charge against co-defendant Tabitha Berube.
The Clark County District Attorney’s Office said the charge was dropped due to “insufficient evidence.” Police had alleged Berube witnessed Johnstone’s abuse without intervening.
Animal advocates reacted with anger. John Waudby, founder of Nevada Animal Advocates, did not mince words about the outcome.
“This scum bag got off scot-free,” Waudby said of Johnstone, adding that Berube “was part of this, she knew what was going on. She failed to do anything about it. Yet the DA goes OK, you are free to go.”
The case began when a former employee shared surveillance video with Fox5 showing a trainer dragging a dog and kicking a foot toward it at the Las Vegas training and rehabilitation facility. 35 dogs were seized from the facility in April, setting off months of legal proceedings.
Working Dogs of Nevada has since shut down. The dogs taken from the facility were sent to The Animal Foundation, where they were adopted out, transferred to other rescues, or returned to their owners.
As we reported in our June update, 31 of those dogs had been living under a legal hold at The Animal Foundation, unable to be permanently rehomed while the case moved through the courts.
The case’s collapse appears to have cleared the path for their release.
Supporters of Reba’s Law, the Nevada statute that strengthens penalties for animal abuse, said they were shocked by how the case ended.
The outcome raises questions about how effectively the law can be enforced when a key suspect is a foreign national who departs before trial.
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