- An Arizona man faces charges after deputies found animals in a garage freezer.
- Michael Patrick Turland faces 94 counts of felony animal cruelty, officials said.
- Animals found in the freezer include rabbits, snakes, turtles and mice.
An Arizona man was charged after deputies found nearly 200 animals — including some frozen alive — in a garage freezer, according to authorities and The Associated Press.
Michael Patrick Turland, 43, faces 94 counts of felony animal cruelty, The Mohave County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on Thursday. The sheriff's office said deputies responded to a home on April 3 to conduct an animal welfare check after a woman reported that animals were inside a freezer, some of which belonged to her.
According to authorities, the woman said she gave Turland her snakes to breed them and expected him to give them back. However, she did not hear from him for months.
The woman "further advised that she was contacted by the property owner, who advised that Turland and his wife, identified as Brooklyn Beck, had moved out of state and when they were cleaning the property, located the freezer full of dead animals in the garage," the sheriff's office said.
When deputies and animal control arrived at the property, they discovered an estimated 183 animals inside the freezer — including dogs, snakes, lizards, birds, rabbits, turtles, and mice. Authorities weren't able to reach Turland and his wife during this time.
It wasn't until April 13, that Turland was spotted at the home and later taken into custody by deputies. Officials said that during questioning, the accused "admitted to placing some of the animals in the freezer when they were still alive."
The statement said deputies are continuing to investigate this incident.