Updated: Sam Johnson, Austin neo-Nazi, cited for abandoning dog on porch

Note: A reader's tip clarifies that Johson is no longer on probation.

Back in the fall, Bluestem interviewed Austin's National Socialist Movement leader Sam Johnson, who had been trying to recruit new members by organizing anti-immigration rallies.

He's back in the news, but not for advocating racial segregation or stripping all American people of color as well as Jews of their citizenship. This time the headline in the Rochester Post Bulletin concerns the cruel treatment of another species, Neo-Nazi cited for animal mistreatment:

Austin police have cited a local man who led neo-Nazi rallies downtown for abandoning his pit-bull dog when moving out of a rental home.

Samuel James Johnson, 29, is being cited for a misdemeanor count of mistreating an animal and is scheduled for a March 1 hearing in Mower District Court.

According to the police report, an Austin community service officer got a report about 4:40 p.m. Feb. 1 of the abandoned dog from the property owner at 304 Third Ave. N.W., from where Johnson had moved. The dog was left behind in a locked cage on the home's front porch with no food or water, the report says.

The officer found the male pit bull in the locked cage with feces inside the cage and no food or water.

With the dog appearing to be vicious with its growling and barking, two other officers helped tranquilize the animal to transport it to the city pound. . . .

This situation most likely spells a sad end for the abandoned dog. Was it vicious before being left caged without food or water on a porch in the dead of a particularly harsh Minnesota winter? Would its attitude had been better had not Johnson left him confined to soil the cage? Odds are that no one will try to discover if the abandoned dog responds to humane treatment.

Friends who have rescued pitbulls and pitbull mixes responded to this story with language ordinarily too strong to use here, as well as anger about the dog's probable fate. I agree. If kept by kind and responsible owners, the breeds commonly lumped together as "pitbulls" are wonderful dogs.

The bad publicity that bad owners create for the breed is a real problem for pound and shelter dogs. Like cities all over the country, Austin has a shelter full of lovable pit bulls. In October, the Austin Herald reported in Humane Society struggles to find homes for pit bulls:

It can be hard to overcome a bad rap. Just ask any homeless pit bull.

Pit bull is a term commonly used to describe several breeds of dog — typically referring to American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, and Staffordshire Bull Terriers.

There are too many pit bulls and too few homes in the Austin area, according the Mower County Humane Society.

“It is alarming, and it is putting a squeeze on us,” Vice President of the Mower County Humane Society Barry Rush said.

At the time being, half of the shelter’s dogs are pit bulls, pushing them over capacity. The Humane Society currently has 18 cages and 22 dogs.

“It’s a problem throughout Minnesota, throughout the country,” Rush said.

The situation has been on the rise for the past six months in the county, and Rush does not expect it to slow down anytime soon.

Rush blames the problem on the over-breeding of pit bulls and a negative reputation that makes people not want to adopt them. . . .

(The article mentions a cat that was the no-kill shelter's longest resident; shortly after the article was published, she found a good home).

To learn more about pitbull rescue, visit Pit Bull Rescue Central. Another tool for finding a dog is Petfinder.

As for Mr. Johnson, who knows. The terms of his probation state that he must obey the law, but who knows whether a misdemeanor count is enough to send him to St. Cloud to serve remaining time on his felony convictions.

Update: A reader  writes with news that Johnson was discharged from probation. I checked the records and the reader is right; Johnson was discharged from probation on March 2, 2009 (the original probation was to last five years, beginning in 2007) for case 50-CR-07-949.

In our interview last fall, Johnson had told me he was still on probation. One case (50-CR-06-2799) is still listed as under court jurisdiction in the files, though probation for that case was slated to end on February 2, 2009)

It's especially interesting that the longer probation was ended early,  because Johnson was "mistakenly" not sent to St. Cloud, but to the Mower County Jail, then given probation for 5 years.

He was then discharged early from probation. The reader notes that Johnson became publicly active in the National Socialist Movement following his discharge from probation. Thus, it looks like Johnson will most likely simply have pay the fine for the animal mistreatment charge, especially if he draws a sympathetic judge.  [end update]

[Second update] A comment has been left about Johnson's probation; should the reader wish to have the information posted, please provide a source and a valid email address. The latter won't be posted or shared with anyone, while the former is essential. [end undate]

Whatever Johnson's fate, I have to concur with the judgment leveled by my dog-owning friends: "Asshole."

Photos: Sam Johnson at own of his anti-immigration rallies last summer (above); Cruiser, a pitbull available for adoption at the Mower County Animal shelter; though not Johnson's latest victim (below).

Comments

[Sam johnson]

Hi evreybody. My name is Sam. I am the guy the article is about. Guess what time for you to eat your words. I was dismissed from this charge as I was not the dogs owner. I also proved to the city attorney that I tried to find help for the animal by contacting the humane society and animal control. I let both partys know that Heidi Graf was the owner of the dog and that she had left him behind when she moved. I had not lived at that address since November. Not only did she leave a dog behind but also my 2 sons that weekend. So for me yes helping the dog was important, but finding where she left my children and taking care of them was more important than that. So you can contact Baudler, Baudler, Maus and Blahnik in Austin Mn to find out for your self. Thanks and good bye. Oh yes next time don't count your chickens before they hatch. [Nazi phrase deleted by owner of blog]

[Sally Jo Sorensen]

Sounds like a bad break-up for your household, Sam. Thanks for the update.