Emily McKinney and Joe D. Johnson, Kentucky couple arrested lying about stray dog mauling mom’s child when in fact it was their own dog, which they hid from investigators.
Probably not the parents of the year… A Kentucky couple have been arrested and charged for allegedly lying about a child abuse incident, claiming that a stray dog had attacked their infant child.
Emily McKinney, 27, and her boyfriend, Joe D. Johnson, 30 of Russell County had their 10 month old treated for ’serious injuries,’ over the weekend, with the couple telling medics that an ‘unknown stray’ dog had attacked the baby.
Police say that the attack resulted in the child being taken first to the Russell County Hospital and then to the University of Kentucky Hospital with serious injuries.
According to a news release from the Kentucky State Police, troopers with Post 15 on Friday, March 15, 2024, responded to a call in Russell Springs about possible criminal child abuse that had taken place earlier in the week. The release said that the call came from an individual in Green County, Kentucky, who was concerned about the safety of his children.
Investigators say they discovered that a 10-month-old child on March 12, 2024, was taken to hospital with injuries suffered from a dog attack.
Avalanche of charges
During the investigation, troopers said they learned the dog belonged to McKinney and Johnson.
Johnson reportedly hid where the dog was located, causing area first responders to search for a nonexistent stray dog, FOX56 reported. As the investigation progressed, investigators determined that the dog attack had occurred as a result of the couple’s own dog.
Following the investigation, McKinney was arrested and charged with:
- First-degree criminal abuse of a child under the age of 12
- Endangering the welfare of a minor
- False report which generates an emergency response
Johnson was also placed under arrest and charged with:
- Tampering with physical evidence
- False report which generates an emergency response
The pair of them were booked into the Russell County Detention Center.
Both of their bonds were set at $10,000.
Russell Springs, Kentucky, is about 88 miles southwest of Lexington, Kentucky.
