Griffith Man Charged and Arrested After Alleged Standoff, Dog Attack On Deputy
Griffith- A 37-year-old Griffith man, identified as Johnny R. White, is charged in Lake County following an incident in which officers say he ran from them, refused to surrender on outstanding warrants, threatened to have his dog attack deputies, and fought with officers before a dog charged and injured one of them.
According to court documents, on May 31, 2025, at approximately 8:01 p.m., deputies were dispatched to the area of Whitcomb Street and 51st Avenue in Griffith after the Aviation Unit helicopter reported seeing black smoke. Officers arrived at a residence in the 5200 block of Johnson Road, where they observed smoke coming from the yard.
Deputies spoke with a man who said he and a landscaping crew were burning timber. While confirming his information, another officer advised that the homeowner — identified as Johnny White — had active arrest warrants through the Lake County Superior Court system. White was first seen wearing a maroon shirt in the doorway before officers saw him again in a blue shirt attempting to put out the fire.
Deputies confirmed White’s identity using his booking photo. When they approached, officers say White walked away, then ran behind a truck and vending machine before disappearing through a cut-out in the trailer. When officers attempted to call him out, White refused.
Officers report that when White eventually came to the door with a large barking dog, he was told multiple times that he had an arrest warrant and needed to step outside. He refused and repeated that officers could not come inside without a warrant.
Deputies say White later stepped out aggressively, yelling, “You can’t come into my house without a warrant.” When he turned away and attempted to run back inside, an officer deployed a Taser, striking White with both probes, but they had no effect.
White then yelled, “Now I’m going to make it harder on you. Come in here and my dog is going to fuck you up,” before opening the door but refusing to come out. Deputies say they pulled White from the threshold, during which he attempted to pull an officer into the residence. A struggle followed as officers forced him to the ground, with both deputies reporting injuries during the arrest.
As officers were restraining White, a large dog charged at them. One officer drew his handgun but did not fire due to not having a safe shot. The dog then focused on the second deputy and attacked him, causing him to fall backward and suffer a head laceration. While on the ground and in fear of being bitten, the deputy fired two rounds at the dog, which ran back inside the residence.
The injured deputy received medical treatment at a local hospital where doctors closed his head laceration with two staples.
Deputies later confirmed White had two failure-to-appear warrants issued days earlier in civil cases.
Lodged in the Lake County Jail on November 13,2025.
Charges filed November 12,2025:
• Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon (Attempt to Commit) – (Level 5 Felony)
• Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon (Attempt to Commit) – (Level 5 Felony)
• Intimidation – Defendant Draws or Uses a Deadly Weapon – (Level 5 Felony)
• Intimidation – Defendant Draws or Uses a Deadly Weapon – (Level 5 Felony)
• Intimidation – Communicated Because of Victim’s Occupation – (Level 6 Felony)
• Intimidation – Communicated Because of Victim’s Occupation – (Level 6 Felony)
• Resisting Law Enforcement – Defendant Causes Bodily Injury – (Level 6 Felony)
• Resisting Law Enforcement – Defendant Causes Bodily Injury – (Level 6 Felony)
• Resisting Law Enforcement – Knowingly or Intentionally Flees From Law Enforcement – (Class A Misdemeanor)
