R&B singer Jaheim Hoagland was arrested on animal cruelty charges after police discovered 15 dogs living in deplorable conditions in his New Jersey home, with some of them found in boxes filled with feces and water, prosecutors said Thursday.
New Jersey R&B singer Jaheim Hoagland is accused of starving 15 dogs to death
Cops went to Hoagland’s home Monday morning to investigate a report of a “puppy in distress” and ended up finding six dogs in the driveway, authorities said.
One of the dogs was initially unresponsive in a crate filled with water and later had to be euthanized, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Other dogs were found inside separate crates that were partially filled with several inches of water and dog feces,” the prosecutor’s office said in a news release.
Hoagland, 44, was placed under arrest outside the Hillsborough home even before cops found another disturbing scene on his property.
While tending to the dogs outside, officers heard barking coming from inside the house and went there to find nine other dogs “in various states of emaciation” and without access to food or water, according to the release.
Two of the dogs were taken to an emergency veterinary clinic for treatment due to their poor condition, authorities said. The 14 surviving dogs were eventually taken to the Long Hill Kennel in Hillsborough.
Twelve of the dogs, including the one that died, were mixed-breed pit bull terriers, prosecutors said. Two were American Staffordshire terriers and one was a mixed-breed boxer, they said.
The platinum-selling artist has been charged with third-degree animal cruelty and failure to provide proper care for an animal. He was booked into Somerset County Jail pending a court hearing.
