Charisma Johnston is a well-known name in both Wake and Warren counties of North Carolina and she’s becoming somewhat infamous among pet owners here in our region.
On January 15th, Johnston was sentenced to 18 months of unsupervised probation in Warren County, North Carolina when she was found guilty of six counts of cruelty to animals.
But back in 2023, Johnston moved here to the Tri-Cities running a series of dog training facilities.
This is when Cindy Hollis’ troubles began.
“I just don’tmy mind can’t even think about how evil you have to be to do that to people,” Hollis said.
The story starts with Greta, a purebred long haired German Shepard, who Cindy Hollis decided to make part of her family after losing both her son and her husband of more than 30 years.
Hollis knew Greta needed some training that’s when she found Odyssey Canine – a board and train facility in Johnson City – run by Johnston.
“She seemed really nice. I checked her out as much as I could you know with better business bureau, looked at the reviews what people had to say, and they were all positive,” Hollis said.
The day Cindy dropped Greta off at 104 Daniels Way in Johnson city was the last time she saw her pup.
“I was just a little over a week from picking Greta up from her training and I got a call from Charisma, or a text saying call me as soon as you can. We’ve been in an accident,” Hollis said.
Hollis says she was told Greta died in a car accident.
But when she asked for details, Johnston didn’t provide them. That sent red flags to Cindy.
“I was like are you trying to steal my dog?,” Hollis said.
Months went on as Hollis tried searching for signs of Greta – to no avail that was, until she received a phone call from another dog trainer that was gathering information on multiple incidents involving purebred dogs and their owners being told they died in car accidents.
Since then, Hollis has continued to look for signs of Greta but has not yet found her pup.
“You know, to some people, they’re just dogs but to me, my dogs my family,” Hollis said.
The Johnson City Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Charisma jJohnston who was arrested on January 30th in Wake County, North Carolina.
According to Wake County Jail records she was released on a secure bond.
If you feel like you have fallen victim to these alleged “deceptive business practices,” please contact us.
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