Michael Keith Winkler

A man who police said previously neglected two dogs, leading to their deaths, faces new charges in connection with the deaths of four dogs, documents said. Michael Winkler faces four counts of animal abuse following an incident in the southeast valley in May, records said.

Around 2 a.m. on May 14, police received a call from paramedics that a 65-year-old man was “having a medical episode” and that they had also located four deceased dogs in a vehicle parked in a garage, documents said. The four dogs, ages one to five, were Labrador and Golden Retrievers, police said.

A family member told police Winkler was “plastered” and needed medical help, documents said. The family member also told police a similar incident happened several years ago. “[The family member] stated [Winkler] has a habit of putting the dogs in the vehicle when he comes home from grocery shopping,” documents said. “[The family member] thinks he placed the dogs in the vehicle to put [grocery bags] inside but never took [the dogs] out of the vehicle and locked them in there until they died.”

In a prior incident, Winkler allegedly left two animals in a car, leading to heat exhaustion, documents said. Police said Winkler was on a list barring him from owning dogs; however, they suspect he purchased more dogs online, documents said. “Given Michael’s prior history of similar fatal incidents, this case shows willful disregard for the animal’s safety in every aspect,” police said. “Michael has killed six dogs in the past four years due to his neglect.”

Police arrested Winkler on June 12, records said. “When Michael was taken into custody, he provided detectives with a notebook that he wanted to read,” police said. “In the notebook, Michael admits to his neglect, which led to the death of the dogs. He stated he takes full responsibility for his actions, and more as to what happened.”