Arizona man accused of stuffing 183 animals in freezer

GOLDEN VALLEY, Ariz. (AP) — An Arizona man was arrested after authorities say 183 dead animals were found in a freezer.

The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office says deputies and animal control officers found the animals in a garage freezer on April 3 after a woman reported that 43-year-old Michael Patrick Turland hadn’t returned the snakes she’d lent him for breeding.

Authorities say the frozen animals included dogs, turtles, lizards, birds, snakes, mice, rats, and rabbits.

The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office says Turland admitted to freezing to placing some of the animals in the freezer when they were still alive.

It’s unclear why he was freezing the animals.

Turland faces animal cruelty charges.