Man warned about animals before, prosecutors say
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Police had previously warned a man arrested with six dead dogs inside a U-Haul box truck that he had too many dogs in his possession, prosecutors said in court Wednesday.
Christopher Winter, 53, faces several charges of animal abuse after his arrest Tuesday. The 8 News Now Investigators first reported Winter’s name Tuesday.
In all, prosecutors said police 15 found animals in the U-Haul and another vehicle, consisting of 12 dogs – six of which were dead – and three cats. They said Winter admitted ownership of both vehicles – and had keys to both – when police questioned him.
Police said Winter was living in the U-Haul’s cabin, which was parked in a MountainView Hospital parking lot. The temperature inside the cabin was 125 degrees, police said.
Officers noted the dogs looked “to have been deceased for a long time,” documents said. Winter later told police he was driving with the dogs after being evicted.
In court Wednesday, Judge Rebecca Saxe ordered Christopher Winter, 53, be held on $50,000 bail despite Winter having no prior criminal record.
“Defendant had been previously admonished by North Las Vegas officials that he had too many animals, and defendant agreed with that,” a prosecutor said in Las Vegas Justice Court’s initial appearance courtroom. “Yet here we are.”
“The court’s concern is the extremely serious nature of the charges in this case,” Saxe said. “That as the state pointed out, there were prior admonitions by the police that you possessed too many animals, that clearly – based in this instance – you were not capable of taking care of those animals.”
Saxe pointed out that one of the animals found in the U-Haul was “covered in blood.” She ordered Winter to stay away from animals and set a court date for June 17 in Las Vegas Justice Court.
A public defender, making the case that Winter should be released on his own recognizance, claims that Winter says he was recently evicted and has no verifiable residence. She said, however, that Winter has lived in area 15 years, and that his spouse and mother also live in Las Vegas.
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