Man in puppy case faces drug charges

The man accused of dumping 14 puppies in a trash bin in Riverdale was back in court, this time on drug charges.

Michael Ray Howard, 34, faces a second-degree felony charge of possession of a controlled substance, along with class A misdemeanor charges for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

According to court documents, Howard appeared with his attorney in 2nd District Court this past week.

Howard is also suspected of dumping 14 Jack Russell terrier-mix puppies in a plastic bag and then dropping it in a Dumpster behind a Riverdale fabric store in December. An employee heard whimpering and opened the bag, finding 13 dead puppies and one alive.

Howard is scheduled to appear in Ogden's 2nd District Court on March 10 for a preliminary hearing on his drug charges and a pretrial conference on 14 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.