Victim updates:

• Taka, the emaciated hound mix who became at risk for euthanasia just weeks after being seized, was adopted by a family with two children on June 4. He’s adjusting well and just loves love his parents say.
• Tweet, was adopted on June 23 by a family with two dog siblings, her own big  fenced-in yard, and retired parents who are home with her full-time and will never be alone again.
• The 3 puppies and 1 french bulldog all adopted

 _______________________________________________________________________

Case Updates:

• On June 2, Jaheim Hoagland appeared in court. The result? The case was simply “reset.” No trial date. No accountability. No movement- but a strategy. It’s a delaying tactic, often used to stall public attention, push proceedings further from the news cycle, and buy time for a better deal behind closed doors. 

 _______________________________________________________________________

Discovery Documents:

Revealed not just animal cruelty; obstruction, deception and calculation.

THE CONDITIONS —

• Jaheim Hoagland was in a hotel while his victims were in a RV without food, water, or AC
• The RV where these animals were found was 92.1°F inside. No airflow. No ventilation. The stench of urine and feces was described as overwhelming.
• A 10-week-old puppy with a body score of 3/9, feces built up 3 inches on his legs, and overgrown nails.
• Two more puppies, also 10 weeks old, had identical condition scores — emaciated, filthy, and dehydrated.
• A mother dog "Tweet" was confined in a kennel tipped on its side, doors facing the floor, temperature 87°F, feces caked on the bars.
• The french bulldog was found in the passenger seat floorboard, missing patches of fur, body scale 2/9.
• Taka discovered in a kennel with a temperature of 89°F, and a body scale of 2/9.

These are textbook examples of prolonged, deliberate deprivation. The kind Georgia law absolutely allows to be charged as felonies under O.C.G.A. § 16-12-4(d).

HIS BEHAVIOR — DOCUMENTED, NOT ALLEGED
Hoagland knew exactly what he was doing — and made repeated, intentional efforts to obstruct the investigation:

• Refused to give his name: “The written warning was issued to Hoagland Family Trust due to him not giving us his name.”
• Gave officers a fake phone number: “It was discovered the phone number given to Animal Control Officers was the number of a relative and not his own phone number.”
• Identified himself as ‘Hoagland Family Trust’ “The unknown black male identified himself as Hoagland Family Trust.”
• Claimed  his dog ‘wasn’t skinny, just young’ “He kept arguing saying this dog is not skinny, he’s just young.”
• Blamed Taka's emaciation on the weather “He also stated that the dog is skinny because it's hot outside."
• Threatened to sue officers “He kept threatening to file a lawsuit on us for asking to see the dog.”
• Claimed to have a vet on call, but wouldn’t prove it “He said he has a best friend who’s a vet that is on-call with him if he needs him, he didn’t give a name… and refused to call the ‘vet’ when asked.”
• Lied about his legal right to be on the property “He stated that he is on private property and pays to park there… the property manager stated that he does not rent a parking spot there.”
• Attempted to walk away when police arrived “Jaheim Hoagland came out from the Hyatt Hotel and saw police and turned around. PD went after him.”

These behaviors meet the thresholds for:

1. OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE (O.C.G.A. § 16-10-24)
2. PROVIDING FALSE STATEMENTS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT (O.C.G.A. § 16-10-20)
3. REFUSAL TO PROVE IDENTIFICATION DURING AN ACTIVE INVESTIGATION 

These are not theoretical charges. They are actionable — when the law is actually applied.

RELEVANT HISTORY
In 2021, Hoagland was charged with 12 counts of animal cruelty in New Jersey. Every single charge was dropped in exchange for a plea to an unrelated traffic violation.

Dropped charges don’t erase the conduct. They don’t erase the evidence.
And they clearly don’t erase the pattern.

The decision to ignore 12 cruelty counts once already gave him permission to do it again. Georgia now has a chance to correct what New Jersey got wrong. The only question is whether it will.

_______________________________________________________________________

WHAT WE EXPECT
This case is not difficult to prosecute. It is not nuanced. And it is not lacking evidence.

We are calling on the Fulton County Solicitor General and the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office to do the obvious:

1. Upgrade the animal cruelty charges to felonies under O.C.G.A. § 16-12-4(d) — based on multiple instances, severe neglect, and physical suffering.
2. File charges for obstruction of justice and false statements.
3. Stop entertaining plea deals that erase the suffering of these animals. We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for equal application of the law.

Because what’s documented isn’t just unacceptable — it’s criminal.

____________________________________________________________________

WHAT'S NEXT- HERE’S WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
Here's how you can apply pressure where it matters:

Email the District Attorney and Solicitor General directly.
Send our prewritten letter: Send the Email

Share this petition with everyone you know!

Help us spoil Taka!  Taka's Wishlist

Help us spoil Tweet!  Tweet's Wishlist

- RescueMeATL