SULLIVAN COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — A woman accused of deceptive business practices and theft in Washington County, Tennessee also faces animal cruelty charges in Sullivan County.

According to the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), Charisma Johnston has been indicted by the Sullivan County grand jury on two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, four counts of cruelty to animals and one count of theft.

The Johnson City Police Department (JCPD) announced on Wednesday that Johnston surrendered to authorities the day before at the Washington County Courthouse and was taken into custody. The JCPD charged her with theft over $2,500, theft over $1,000 and deceptive business practices.

Additionally, the JCPD reported Johnston faces 11 counts of animal cruelty in Wake and Warren counties in North Carolina and five counts of cruelty to animals from the Wendell, North Carolina Police Department.

The SCSO reported on Thursday that Johnston made bond at the Washington County Detention Center and was then transported to the Sullivan County Jail for booking on her charges there. She was booked into the Sullivan County Jail at 3:37 a.m. Thursday. She was released from the Sullivan County Jail after posting a $10,000 bond.

An affidavit filed in Washington County states a victim dropped off her German Shepherd with Johnston in April 2024 and paid her more than $3,2000 for an eight-week boarding and training. The victim claimed Johnston stopped communicating with her and then told her more than a month later that the dog had died in a crash.

Johnston allegedly told the victim the dog had been cremated at a Kingsport business. Investigators reported speaking with the business, and employees told them Johnston claimed the dog had been dead for days when she brought it in for cremation. The dog also reportedly weighed about 20 pounds less than it had two months earlier.

The victim claimed that she later found out other people had been scammed by Johnston and that she was under investigation in other parts of Tennessee and North Carolina.