Animal Abuser Who Was Armed With Machete Eligible For Bond

On August 7 Chaun James Johnson, 33, was arrested and charged with excessive aggravated animal cruelty.

Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) Deputy Skyler Lawson was on routine patrol around 3:00 a.m. and saw Johnson abusing his dog in the parking lot of the Baymont Inn hotel. 

According to the arrest report Johnson grabbed the dog by his collar and threw him 15 feet before arming himself with a machete and attempting to hit the dog with its handle. The dog avoided the initial swing but Johnson grabbed him and threw the dog into the backseat of his car and repeatedly hit him with the machete’s handle. 

The dog sustained injuries on his neck and underneath his jaw. 

When Lawson entered the parking lot Johnson said he was “disciplining his dog.” When Lawson was walking Johnson to the patrol car he spontaneously said he was  “disciplining his dog with the handle.”

The Baymont Inn's manager told Deputy Perez he had seen Johnson abuse his dog before and told him to stop. 

During Johnson’s interview with Perez he said he had been “taking out all his aggression on the dog lately.” 

Johnson is currently homeless and doesn’t have a registered address. 

Judge Susan Miller-Jones granted Johnson eligibility for a $15,000 bond. If he posts the bond and is released he’ll be required to not possess any animals or firearms.