Accused puppy killer arrested again in Weber County

OGDEN — A man accused of dumping a garbage bag stuffed with puppies in a trash bin and then skipping a court appearance has been arrested again.

Agents with the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force arrested Michael Ray Howard, 35, late Wednesday night in a drug bust.

"Some of our guys learned he might be at a location and they went out and found him," Lt. Darin Parke said Thursday.

Howard was wanted by a judge in 2nd District Court after he failed to show up to hearings Monday on animal cruelty charges and another drug case. Howard's attorney said at the time he had no idea where his client was. Strike Force agents found him at a home in the 400 block of Doxey Avenue.

"He'd moved into the house recently," Parke said.

During the arrest, police said they found 176 grams of methamphetamine in Howard's possession. He was booked into the Weber County Jail on investigation of methamphetamine possession with intent to distribute in a drug free zone, drug paraphernalia, and the two warrants.

Howard is accused of stuffing 14 Jack Russell Terrier-mix puppies in a garbage bag and dumping it in a trash bin behind a Riverdale fabric store. Only one dog, named "Precious" by her owners, survived. The case was one of many that animal rights groups used to push state lawmakers into increasing the penalty for animal abuse.

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