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Travers and Tremayne Johnson, the 17-year-old twin brothers accused of fatally burning a pit bull, have been arrested and are being held without bail after police said they found guns and marijuana inside their Southwest Baltimore rowhouse.

This time, the twins were charged as adults.

The twins, who were charged as juveniles in the animal cruelty case, face new charges of possession of firearms, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Baltimore police announced the arrest of the youths June 8 in connection with the case of Phoenix, a pit bull who had been doused with gasoline and set on fire. The dog, burned over 95 percent of her body, died several days later. The case led to calls for stiffer penalties in animal cruelty cases, and $26,000 was donated to a reward fund.

In that case, the brothers were released to the custody of their father.

According to the Sun, court document show police raided the house on June 16 and filed adult charges against the twins two days later. Authorities did not confirm the arrests until Thursday.

Newly filed court documents say that detectives have a witness “who positively identified both Travers Johnson and Tremayne Johnson as the individuals who were running out of the alley with the burning dog.” The documents also state that the “incident was captured” on police surveillance video.

Police said they they found three guns – a loaded .38-caliber Taurus handgun inside a rubber boot, a 20-gauge shotgun and a Marlin Firearms .30-.30-caliber rifle in the later search of the twins’ home. Police said they found a digital scale with a small amount of marijuana.

Nitro, a police dog in Aberdeen, Washington whose job was eliminated in a series of budget cuts, will be back on the beat next week.

Police Chief Bob Torgerson said a community fund-raising drive netted $57,000 — enough to rehire Nitro and also pay for a car, kennel and equipment for the department’s K-9 program.

Nitro’s job was eliminated in May, amid growing unemployment in Grays Harbor County and the closing of a Weyerhaeuser plant, which left the city with fewer tax dollars.

Officer Steve Timmons, Nitro’s partner, said the dog didn’t understand what was happening when he was first laid off.

“When I go to work, he runs to the door like we’re leaving and I have to leave him there. So it’s tough,” Timmons told TV station KOMO.

When members of the community heard about Nitro’s layoff, they raised enough money through private donations to reinstate the program.

In his four years on the force, 6-year-old Nitro has helped bring nearly 40 suspects to justice.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has added $2,500 to the reward being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case of a dog dragged behind a pickup truck in Vineland, N.J. earlier this month.

Coupled with the $1,000 offered by the Cumberland County (N.J.) SPCA, that brings the total reward to $3,500.

A Vineland resident called 911 on the night of June 13 to report a green pickup truck with a matching cap was dragging the dog along the road. Police were unable to locate the truck or the dog that night.

The brown mixed breed, who has been given the name Reese, suffered bruises on her right side and injuries to her face and the pads and nails on her front paws, according to the Daily Journal. No arrests have been made in connection with the June 13 incident.

Reese is expected to cover, but will likely remain in the hospital for two weeks, said Cumberland County SPCA Executive Director Bev Greco

“We definitely like to catch anybody involved in cases like this,” said David Perle, communications coordinator for PETA, “There’s a link between cruelty to animals and violence to other people. Obviously this is a terrible case, but there are other issues.”

SPCA investigators are trying to make contact with a man who was in possession of the dog at the time of the incident, but he has not returned calls.

(Photo: Cumberland County SPCA)

A judge in Columbus imposed a 90-day jail sentence on an Ohio firefighter who pleaded guilty to killing his dogs to avoid boarding them while he went on vacation.

David Santuomo, 43, of Columbus pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of animal cruelty and one count of possession of a criminal tool — a homemade silencer he used on the end of a rifle, the Associated Press reports.

Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Heather Robinson said Santuomo shot his two mixed-breed dogs, Sloopy and Skeeter, on Dec. 3 after tying them to a pipe in his basement. He dumped the remains in a trash bin behind his firehouse, she said.

Prosecutors have said he bragged about the killings to colleagues.

 
Eighteen of the more than 200 dogs seized from an ill-kept breeding kennel in Emmaus, Pa. have found a temporary home at the Maryland SPCA.

The SPCA, which picked the dogs up in its new transport van, was among several agencies taking in the dogs seized from the Almost Heaven Kennel by the Humane Society of the United States and agents from the Pennsylvania  Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.

“They are actually adjusting pretty well, all things considered,” said Aileen Gabbey, executive director of the Maryland SPCA. “Some are still scared, but most are really friendly.”

A dog training website says it plans to award $500 each to 500 dog rescue organizations to help them cope during the recession.

Trainpetdog.com will distribute a total of $25,000 to rescues, with donations in the form of cash or dog supplies, depending on each organization’s needs.

“Our world has a serious dog overpopulation problem,” said Nipa Roy, spokesperson for TrainPetDog.com. “There are tons of rescues out there, making a noble effort to save and re-home dogs, but every day they struggle to get enough funding to stay open another day. Donations are an absolute necessity for these rescues.”

“With the current economy, many dog rescues are struggling to survive even if they were doing okay before,” Roy added. “Fewer families can afford to care for their dogs, so more dogs are being surrendered and fewer are being adopted out.”

TrainPetDog.com will select 500 of the neediest dog rescues to receive donations. To be considered for the donation, a rescue must fill out the online form on TrainPetDog.com’s web site. The form requests contact information for the rescue, allows the rescue to choose whether they want the donation in cash or goods, and asks questions such as what dog breeds they rescue and why they should be chosen as one of the 500 to receive a donation.

With more than 875,000 subscribers to their free dog training mini courses, TrainPetDog.com provides breed specific information for owners who want to learn more about dog and puppy training. Rescues can link to the website to provide foster and adoptive owners with the information they need to train their dogs.