Las Vegas man left 4 dogs in car, causing deaths, police say
A Las Vegas man who had a history of animal cruelty has been arrested after four dogs, left in his car for hours, died of heat exhaustion, according to police.
Michael Winkler, 65, was arrested on suspicion of four counts of willful or malicious torture, maiming, or killing of an animal on June 12. In Winkler’s arrest report, his family members suggested that he was “plastered,” falling asleep and forgetting to let the dogs out of his locked car in the garage.
A necropsy showed that the dogs, named Snickers, Oakley, Ben, and Angel, died of heat stroke, suffocation, or a combination of both causes, according to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report.
Winkler’s teenage granddaughter, who lives with him, told officers she returned home from hanging out with friends around 1 a.m. May 14. Entering through the garage, she noticed that the windows of Winkler’s parked vehicle were “foggy to the point where they were dripping” and that Angel’s body was positioned abnormally in the driver’s seat. When she went inside the home, she found Winkler completely naked and drunk, according to police.
The granddaughter also told police that she called her mother, who also lives in the home but had been away at work, after she confronted Winkler, and he “just went back to lie down.”
The arrest report noted that when Winkler’s daughter arrived minutes later, she called 911, seeking police for the dog incident and also requesting medical attention for Winkler, who had begun yelling and defecating on himself.
Winkler’s daughter and granddaughter also told police that years ago, Winkler had killed more dogs in a nearly identical situation, the report said. At that time, the granddaughter, who was 14, asked animal control to place him on a list prohibiting him from owning more dogs, police said. Still, he continued to buy animals from third parties online.
“[She] is sure those dogs went into the vehicle alive, but her grandfather is just lazy, and most likely left them trapped,” the report stated.
Police said that, over the past four years, six dogs have died in Winkler’s care. In a notebook he gave detectives when he was arrested, he admitted to neglecting the dogs, police said.
Court records indicate that Winkler was released a day after his arrest and ordered to stay out of trouble. He is due in court on July 14.
Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com
