Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Wyoming: Michael Wood, 39, charged with animal cruelty after police find dead dogs on his property

WYOMING -- Another arrest warrant has been issued for a Wyoming man who was recently arrested and charged with multiple counts of animal neglect following the discovery of seven dead horses and another six that were malnourished on his property.

Another warrant has been issued for Michael Aaron Wood, 39, of Clark, Wyoming, according to Lance Mathess, public affairs officer with the Park County Sheriff’s Office. Wood has been charged with three misdemeanor counts of animal neglect for three dead dogs in addition to the 13 he was charged with for the dead and malnourished horses. Each count is punishable by a maximum of six months in prison and a $750 fine.

Wood was arrested Jan. 15 on the original 13 counts but has since been released on bond.


The Park County Sheriff’s Office received a tip Jan. 13 of two deceased dogs in a horse trailer on Wood’s property on Crossfire Trail.

Investigating officers received a search and seizure warrant, leading to the discovery of three dead dogs on Wood’s property.

“Now what do you guys want?” Wood asked the investigating officers when they arrived Jan. 14 with the search and seizure warrant, according to the affidavit. Sgt. Mark Hartman informed Wood he was there to take the remainder of his animals into custody.

When asked how many animals were in his house, Wood said three dogs and three cats. When asked about the dead dogs in the horse trailer, Wood added that there was another dead dog in his house.

 

After entering Wood’s home, officers were approached by two barking and jumping Labrador retrievers described as excited but not dangerously aggressive. “All of these dogs appeared to be underfed and skinny in appearance, but active and playful,” according to the affidavit.

Wood then led officers to his laundry and utility room where they discovered a dead pit bull-Lab mix, approximately 8 to 9 years old, according to the affidavit.


In the horse trailer, an Australian shepherd mix and a Great Pyrenees were found dead, according to the affidavit. Both dogs were estimated to have been 3 years old.

In a later interview with Hartman, Wood described the Great Pyrenees as an “escape artist” that “could get out of a six-foot fence and this was why he was kept tied inside the horse trailer.”

Wood said the Australian shepherd mix had bit him last year and left him hospitalized for a week with an infection.


He then told Hartman he had fed the dogs in the trailer about a gallon of dog food every couple days and also gave them water. He said the dogs probably died because of the cold “a while ago.”

Wood said that it was hard to keep weight on both of the dogs inside the house, including the older chocolate Lab because of its bad teeth, but that he fed them and provided them with water every day.

The initial anonymous report of six to seven dead horses at Wood’s residence was called in to the Park County Sheriff’s Office Jan. 7. Five dead horses were initially discovered, with six live horses appearing thin and in some cases emaciated.

 

Wood said at the time that he had tried unsuccessfully to get rid of the horses through ads and calling organizations and that he had not had the money to feed them.

A search and seizure warrant was executed Jan. 9 the Wood's property, leading to the discovery of two more dead horses in a snow drift at the rear of Wood’s property and the seizure of the remaining six live horses. The surviving horses are in the care of Park County.

The dead horses in the snowdrift “were long dead and had been fed upon by coyotes as well as most likely domestic dogs,” according to court documents.

(Missoulian.com - Jan 28, 2016)

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