Grammy-nominated singer Jaheim charged with 6 counts of animal cruelty

USA Today

2 days ago

Grammy-nominated singer Jaheim charged with 6 counts of animal cruelty
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Animal rescue euthanizes badly abused dog
A badly-abused dog that was being cared for by an animal rescue in the Phoenix area has been euthanized.
Fox - 10 Phoenix
Grammy-nominated R&B artist Jaheim is facing multiple animal cruelty charges, according to jail records and court documents.
The "Just in Case" singer, whose full name is Jaheim Hoagland, was charged with six counts of animal cruelty in connection with a May 1 arrest, Fulton County Jail records show.
The 47-year-old singer's arrest comes after he was reported various times for the unsanitary conditions he allegedly kept his dogs, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by USA TODAY. He has a 2021 third-degree animal cruelty case in New Jersey, in which he is alleged to have kept 15 dogs in his home with "deplorable conditions," the court document says.
Hoagland was taken to Fulton County Jail for his current charges, but he was released on May 2 after posting a $35,000 bond. As of May 29, it is unclear if Hoagland has a defense attorney.
How did Jaheim become a suspect of animal cruelty?
One incident mentioned in the affidavit occurred on April 27 and involved Fulton County Animal Control officers receiving a call about a malnourished dog roaming through a parking lot in Buckhead. The officers left when Hoagland allegedly approached them in an "aggressive manner" and said they're not "taking the dog," as he was just "outside doing work on the RV."
The following day, the officers returned and encountered Hoagland, who was recording them and saying that they "were on private property and this was harassment," according to the affidavit. When the officers explained to the singer that they had received a call about his dog, Hoagland became "irate," refused to identify himself and obstructed the officers' view of the canine.
Once officers identified Hoagland, they asked him about the dog, to which the singer explained that his canine's current body state was because he was only 11 months old, but he said he feeds him regularly, according to the affidavit. When Hoagland took the dog out of its kennel, the officers noticed it was "severely emaciated and his rib cage was protruding through the skin," the court document continued.
The officers gave Hoagland a written warning, but said they would return to obtain veterinarian records and reassess the dog. After leaving the area, the officers discovered that the phone number given to them was the number of a relative and not Hoagland's, the affidavit says.
Puppies found in Jaheim's RV taken to shelter after police search
Fulton County police found Hoagland and his RV in a separate Buckhead parking lot on May 1, and after conducting a search warrant of the vehicle, they took him into custody, the affidavit reads.
During the search of the RV, six dogs were located, including a 10-week-old pit bull puppy, two 10-week-old liver colored puppies, a 5-year-old pit bull, an 11-month-old brown hound and a French bulldog, according to the affidavit. All the dogs were removed from the RV and taken to the Fulton County Animal Control's shelter, the court document continued.
Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse/ USA TODAY
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [e-mail].