LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A Nevada animal welfare organization is formally requesting that state authorities review how the Clark County District Attorney’s Office handles animal cruelty prosecutions.
Nevada Animal Advocates announced it has asked the State Bar of Nevada and the Nevada Attorney General to examine whether the office under District Attorney Steve Wolfson has violated professional responsibility standards, prosecutorial obligations, or other applicable laws in its handling of animal cruelty cases.
What the group is asking
The organization is requesting an independent review to determine whether animal cruelty cases are being evaluated and prosecuted consistently, whether prosecutorial discretion has been exercised in accordance with Nevada law, and whether policies regarding felony animal cruelty offenses comply with Reba’s Law, which the Nevada Legislature passed in 2025.
“I’ve been frustrated for years. Watching Wolfson and his office plead these cases down and everybody in the animal community is scratching their heads like what is going on in that office,” John Waudby, founder of Nevada Animal Advocates, said.
Cases cited in the complaint
The complaint filed with the attorney general and the State Bar cites several cases it says reflect a pattern of declined or reduced prosecutions.
In one case, Mitchell Fairbarn was charged with four felony counts of animal cruelty after injuring a flamingo on the Las Vegas Strip. The complaint states the case is the subject of plea negotiations and expresses concern that the resolution may not reflect the seriousness of the conduct.
In a second case, Tabitha Berube, connected to Working Dogs of Nevada, was reportedly captured on video engaging in conduct the organization believes constituted criminal animal cruelty. The complaint states the Clark County DA’s Office declined to file criminal charges despite the existence of video evidence.
A third case involves John Johnstone, also connected to Working Dogs of Nevada, who was initially charged with four felony counts of willfully or maliciously torturing, maiming or mutilating an animal. Three of those charges were dismissed by Wolfson’s office, according to the complaint. Johnstone was later taken into ICE custody and deported to Scotland before the case was resolved.
In another case, Wayne Leonard Johnson was accused of taking his dog into the Southern Nevada desert, striking the animal with a hammer, stabbing it and slitting its throat. The dog was found alive but had to be euthanized.
The complaint includes many more cases.
DA’s office responds
Wolfson pushed back on the complaint, calling it misinformation.
“I take exception to that gentleman who filed that complaint think its outrageous I think its mis-information on his part we file these cases on a regular basis we take animal cruelty cases very seriously. We currently have 45 pending felony animal cruelty cases another 15 misdemeanor cases, that’s about 60 animal currently cases pending in the court. So this gentleman respectfully is misinformed on what we do here,” Wolfson said.
Wolfson said his approach to prosecuting animal abuse cases is solid.
“We review these cases we take them seriously. We have ethical guidelines and those ethical guidelines are we should only file charges based upon a belief that we can prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt. If we cant prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt we shouldn’t and don’t file charges,” Wolfson said.
Background on Reba’s Law
The complaint references Wolfson’s public statements made before Reba’s Law was enacted, in which he urged lawmakers to increase penalties for animal cruelty, saying “the punishment does not fit the crime.”
Reba’s Law was named after a bulldog left in a sealed container near a dumpster in Las Vegas heat. The dog died from heat stroke. Two individuals, Isaac Laushaul Jr. and Markeisha Foster, were charged in connection with the dog’s death. Laushaul accepted a plea deal and received 16 months to four years in prison. Foster pleaded to a lesser charge and received a seven-month jail sentence, then was released less than three weeks later after time-served credit was applied.
The Nevada Legislature subsequently passed Reba’s Law, providing prosecutors with enhanced legal authority to address serious animal cruelty offenses.
What happens next
Nevada Animal Advocates said it intends to provide supporting documentation, court records, news reports, and other materials to the reviewing agencies. The organization acknowledged that decisions regarding any investigation rest solely with the State Bar and the attorney general’s office.
The complaint was sent by certified mail to the Nevada Attorney General’s office at the McCarran Center in Las Vegas and to the State Bar of Nevada’s Office of Bar Counsel.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates
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