Odin Maxwell, 49, is accused of shooting and killing his neighbor’s therapy dog, an adorable Labradoodle named Jax. Lona and Joseph Johnson adopted Jax to help their family recover from PTSD after the Johnsons were at the Las Vegas concert where a gunman shot and killed 58 people and injured 851 more, Bellingham Herald reported. Maxwell, who is a lawyer, is now inundated with negative reviews on Google from angry people around the country. Here is what you need to know about Odin Maxwell and what happened. This is a developing story.
1. Odin Maxwell Is a Workers Compensation Lawyer, & the Johnsons Are Considering Suing Him
Odin Maxwell is the guy’s name. His chickens went into someone else’s yard and got chased around by their dog. He went on their property, shot and killed their dog – for chasing the said chickens (which were unharmed).
Maxwell is a workers compensation lawyer in Bellingham, working with Maxwell and Webb, PLLC. His rating on Avvo is 6.9 and he’s been licensed for 20 years. According to Lawyer.com, there is no misconduct on Maxwell’s official record and he’s in good standing.
Prior to Jax’s shooting, reviews for Maxwell were positive. Andrea Scheele, and employment attorney, wrote on Avvo in 2012: “Odin and I recently worked on a case for a common client who had both L&I and employment discrimination issues. Odin was mindful of the client’s best interests in both cases, and was responsive to me and our client. He helped me understand his area of law better, and I will refer clients to him in the future.”
Carl Munson, who knew Maxwell since law school, wrote in 2009 that Maxwell was “always possessed to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism in his career.”
Manta estimates that Maxwell’s firm has a staff of one to four people and an annual revenue of less than $500,000.
Maxwell has no political affiliation, according to voter records.
The Johnsons are considering suing Maxwell, the New York Post reported.
2. Odin Maxwell Was an Assistant Attorney General in Washington State Before Starting His Own Firm
Before starting his own firm with Karen Webb, Odin Maxwell was an Assistant Attorney General in Washington, according to his firm’s website. He represented the Department of Labor and Industries in that position.
Maxwell describes himself this way on his website: “I have been handling Workers’ Compensation issues since 1995 (as an attorney since 1997). I have extensive experience in litigating Workers’ Compensation issues.”
The website also notes about Maxwell’s current firm: “Further, we believe in conscientious service. In other words, we do not hide behind a wall of staff. Rather, we pride ourselves on being available to our clients to answer questions and work toward securing the best possible outcomes. We know the issues that affect your family are important to you and we do not take them lightly. We feel it is our duty to serve our clients with respect and consideration, and part of such service means being available to talk to you.”
3. Maxwell’s Law Firm Has Been Getting Low Reviews on Google Since the Shooting
Ever since the news broke about Jax’s death, Maxwell’s law firm has been inundated with low reviews from angry people across the country. Google is taking down the negative reviews, but Heavy saved some screenshots below.
Google Reviews
Google Reviews
Google Reviews
One person wrote: “Odin Maxwell shot a dog on its own property alleging that it had harmed his chickens yet there was no evidence of harm against any of the fowl. Probably not a dog friendly establishment.”
4. Jax Was Killed on His Own Family’s Property, While the Johnsons’ Nephew Was Playing Outside Nearby
FacebookJax and the Johnsons
Jax was on his own family’s property when he was shot and killed on Sunday morning, Bellingham Herald reported. It was 7:45 a.m. on Sunday when the Humane Society, Everson Police Department, and Nooksack Tribal Police responded to the report of Jax being killed on the 2800 block of Goshen Road.
The Johnsons told Bellingham Herald that their 9-year-old nephew was playing outside nearby with his dog when Jax was shot.
The Johnsons adopted Jax to help comfort their family after Lona and Joseph and their cousin, Melinda Brockie, were caught in the line of fire during the horrific Las Vegas concert shooting in October. Brockie, a Lummi Nation tribal member, was shot in the right cheek, Bellingham Herald reported. (Brockie is the wife of Lummi Indian Business Council member Travis Brockie.) She was rushed into emergency surgery and recovered.
The shooting was traumatizing for the entire family, including the Johnsons’ children, who learned on TV that their parents were in danger. Jax was a big blessing to the family.
Joseph Johnson said about Jax: “He gave us something to look forward to. I really believe Jax was a big part of our healing, not only for my wife and I, but for our children, who were at home and saw the news and the social media and knew we were shot at. He’s helped us all.”
They were heartbroken when they learned that Jax had been killed. Lona wrote on Facebook: “It is with tears rolling down my face I’m sad to let all of our friends and family know our dog Jax was shot and killed this morning by our neighbor across the street for chasing his chickens out of our yard once again…
”
Lona said that Jax’s death triggered more PTSD.
“We’re still trying to deal with what happened in Las Vegas, and then this happened. Everybody who knows us knows how important Jax was to us.”
5. Maxwell Told Deputies that Jax Was Chasing His Chickens, But None of His Chickens Were Injured
FacebookJax was a loving dog.
Maxwell would only say that Jax had been chasing his chickens. But Jax was on his own property when he was shot, and an investigation showed that no chickens were harmed. Lona and Joseph told the Bellingham Herald that they hadn’t had any previous dealings with Maxwell and he had never expressed any concerns about Jax or his chickens. In fact, they said their nephew had returned a chicken that had wandered onto their property just a few days earlier, and the chicken was unharmed.
Here are more photos of Jax, who was a loving and caring dog:
Maxwell was cited for recklessly aiming or discharging a firearm, said Kevin Hester, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy.