April 29, 2026 - 12:20 pm

A dog rescue employee accused of cruelty to animals has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, his co-defendant said in court Wednesday.

Tabitha Berube, 32, faces a count of willfully or maliciously torturing, maiming or mutilating a pet. John Johnstone, 38, faces multiple counts of that charge.

Johnstone was born in Scotland and has Scottish citizenship, according to police. During a brief hearing before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Rebecca Saxe, Berube — who was on Zoom — indicated that Johnstone was in ICE custody and would not be able to appear.

The Metropolitan Police Department said it confiscated 35 dogs from the Working Dogs of Nevada Rescue, 7331 W.…