L.A. County Asst. Fire Chief Pleads Not Guilty in Dog's Death

A plea of not guilty was offered this week by a Los Angeles County assistant fire chief accused of assaulting his neighbor's six-month-old puppy last November to where it had to be put down.

Glynn Johnson, 54, who is free on $100,000 bail, faces an animal cruelty charge, with sentence-enhancing allegations of using a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony in connection with the reported beating.

Johnson, who claims he hit the dog in self-defense, is slated to return to court next month for a felony settlement conference.

According to Johnson, the dog (Karley) got loose from its property and he was returning it to the owner when a confrontation between he and the animal took place.

A local vet informed sheriff's investigators that Karley had a shattered skull and appeared to have suffered a broken jaw.