R&B singer Jaheim Hoagland was arrested on charges of animal cruelty after police discovered 15 dogs living in deplorable conditions in his New Jersey Home.
According to the Daily News the dogs were found in crates filled with feces and water, prosecutors said Thursday.
Cops went to Hoagland’s home Monday morning to investigate a report of a “puppy in distress” and ended up finding six dogs in the driveway, authorities said.
One of the dogs was initially unresponsive in a water-filled crate and later had to be euthanized, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Additional dogs were found inside of separate crates which were partially filled with several inches of water and dog feces,” prosecutors said in a news release.
Hoagland, 44, was placed under arrest outside the Hillsborough home even before cops found another disturbing scene on his property.
While caring for the dogs outside, officers heard barking coming from inside the house and went there to find nine more dogs “in varying stages of emaciation” and without access to food or water, according to the release.
Two of the dogs were taken to an emergency vet clinic for treatment because of their poor condition, authorities said. All 14 surviving dogs were eventually taken to Long Hill Kennel in Hillsborough.
Twelve of the dogs, including the one who died, were mixed-breed pit bull terriers, prosecutors said.
Two were American Staffordshire terriers and one was a mixed breed boxer, they said.
Hoagland, also known simply as Jaheim, released his debut album in 2001 and had several hits in the years that followed, including “Put That Woman First,” “Anything” and “Fabulous,” according to Billboard. His 2006 album “Ghetto Classics” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
The platinum-selling artist is now charged with third-degree animal cruelty and failure to provide necessary care to an animal. He was booked into the Somerset County Jail pending a court hearing.
