Editor’s note: This story contains graphic descriptions, read at your discretion.
CHEYENNE — A Laramie County Sheriff’s Office detective report filed Wednesday in Cheyenne Circuit Court exposes graphic details about the “abhorrent” conditions more 100 hoarded animals were kept in, which were seized Friday and taken to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter.
Michael Ohern, 70, is accused of hoarding 101 animals — including dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens, tortoises, small birds and a goat — at Cheyenne-area home. The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office recommended 22 counts of felony aggravated cruelty to animals against him for each of the 22 animals the agency said it found dead in his possession.
Ohern made a virtual appearance in Cheyenne Circuit Court on Wednesday, during which Judge Antoinette Williams set his bond at $100,000. Williams read Ohern the charges against him, which she noted ascribed him with “intent to cause death or torture” to the animals.
For each of the 22 counts, Ohern faces up to two years in prison and $5,000 in fines, for a total potential maximum punishment of 44 years and $110,000.
Though his office doesn’t run the county’s criminal prosecutions (the district attorney's office does), Laramie County Attorney Mark Voss was also at the hearing since the county is also pursuing a petition for Ohern to forfeit the animals to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter.
Property forfeitures are civil, not criminal proceedings.
Voss also called for Ohern to be charged restitution of $350,000, which would reimburse the shelter for the cost of caring for the animals.
The Cheyenne Animal Shelter is scrambling to serve more than 100 new animals following a “horrific” hoarding case. Many are dirty, skinny, and in need of veterinary care. A Laramie County man has been charged with animal cruelty. The animals taken from the home include dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, tortoises and a goat. (Jackson Walker, Cowboy State Daily) 
The Cheyenne Animal Shelter is scrambling to serve more than 100 new animals following a “horrific” hoarding case. Many are dirty, skinny, and in need of veterinary care. A Laramie County man has been charged with animal cruelty. The animals taken from the home include dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, tortoises and a goat. (Jackson Walker, Cowboy State Daily) 
The Cheyenne Animal Shelter is scrambling to serve more than 100 new animals following a “horrific” hoarding case. Many are dirty, skinny, and in need of veterinary care. A Laramie County man has been charged with animal cruelty. The animals taken from the home include dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, tortoises and a goat. (Cheyenne Animal Shelter via Facebook) 
The Cheyenne Animal Shelter is scrambling to serve more than 100 new animals following a “horrific” hoarding case. Many are dirty, skinny, and in need of veterinary care. A Laramie County man has been charged with animal cruelty. The animals taken from the home include dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, tortoises and a goat. (Cheyenne Animal Shelter via Facebook) 
The Cheyenne Animal Shelter is scrambling to serve more than 100 new animals following a “horrific” hoarding case. Many are dirty, skinny, and in need of veterinary care. A Laramie County man has been charged with animal cruelty. The animals taken from the home include dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, tortoises and a goat. (Cheyenne Animal Shelter via Facebook)
Detective Report
Laramie County Sheriff’s Office Detective Miles DePrimo wrote in an affidavit of probable cause that he became involved with Cheynne Animal Control officers Elizabeth Wagner and Peter Kisiel in an investigation of Ohern’s treatment of animals on Sept. 8.
DePrimo acknowledged Ohern’s extensive history of animal-related complaints dating back to 2022 that includes livestock harassment, unsanitary conditions, and multiple deaths due to canine poarvovirus. That disease commonly spreads between dogs and wolves through their feces.
DePrimo’s report confirms Ohern was person responsible for an April 2022 hoarding incident in which the Cheyenne Animal Shelter rescued several large dogs.
DePrimo wrote that conditions at Ohern’s home then were described as “severely unsanitary,” with feces piled as high as 2 feet in some areas. Many of the animals there were “covered in feces, dehydrated or in poor health.”
The affidavit says Ohern at that time had admitted he had difficulties caring for the animals given the fact that he worked in Superior, Colorado, which is about 95 miles from Cheyenne.
Ohern on Sept. 2, 2025, reported to Kisiel that his dog named Khanzade had died from what he believed to be parvovirus. A necroscopy by the Wyoming State Veterinarian confirmed that suspicion.
Between Sept. 6 and 8, Ohern reported multiple other dogs named Glitter, Sparks and Wag had died due to parvovirus. Ohern had told officers he was unable to afford treatment, despite continuing to acquire animals, the affidavit says.
DePrimo wrote that he executed a search warrant at Ohern’s residence on Oct. 10, where he found “feces found all over the wall’s [sic] doors and floors.”
“There was so much garbage and debris in the house it was difficult to maneuver through to check on all the animals,” he wrote. “Mice and insects infested the interior of the residence, including rooms where animals were housed.”
DePrimo described the odor in that house as “abhorred [sic]” and unsafe for humans and animals. All officials who entered the house were required to wear full body suits and respirators, he added.
DePrimo arrested Ohern, who told the officer he had planned to clean the house “Monday” but had not done so until then due to his age, bad back and regular commute to Colorado for work, the affidavit relates.
“When asked if he believed he was providing the animals with proper care, Ohern did not answer directly but rather stated the dogs were good animals and had nothing wrong with them, but that we were causing his animals anxiety,” DePrimo’s report says.
Animals Seized
The report says authorities discovered 22 dead animals, two of which were “unknown.” DePrimo wrote that one unknown animal was actually “4 house cats that were so decayed it was hard to initially separate the carcasses,” which increased the dead animal count to 26.
Authorities seized 101 live animals from the residence including 28 dogs, 66 birds of various species, one turtle, one goat and three rabbits. Among the dead animals were four birds, four turtles, two unknown animals, two puppies, seven cats, two iguanas and one rabbit.
DePrimo confirmed to Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday some of the birds were quail, meaning Ohern could face additional charges for not having proper game licenses with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
“Officer Wagner from Animal Control notified me most of the birds seized from Ohern’s residence had missing feet, either from self-mutilation due to neglect or from rats and mice, which were infesting the house,” DePrimo’s report reads. “One of the dogs had a mass on its neck that required treatment, the 3 live rabbits had a zoonotic upper respiratory disease, that could be transmitted to other animals and humans.”
The report says Cheyenne Animal Shelter veterinarian Sarah Crystal examined the animal carcasses and found “there were no indications of efforts made to humanely euthanize or otherwise treat these animals before their deaths."
“Based on my training and experience, the findings are consistent with chronic and systematic cruelty and neglect,” Crystal wrote.
DePrimo’s report estimates the cost for the Cheyenne Animal Shelter to care for the 101 animals as much as $352,237.50 for 90 days.
Animal Surrender
Voss told Cowboy State Daily after Wednesday’s court hearing he is “96% certain” the court will require Ohern to surrender his animals. He said Ohern had not been charged for animal cruelty in 2022 because he had agreed to surrender his animals.
He described Ohern as a “deeply damaged” individual who allegedly believed he was doing what is right for the animals.
DePrimo said he had never encountered such an offensive odor before in his career, than he had at Ohern’s house. He said the stench was something he could not accurately describe in his affidavit.
DePrimo also explained he attempted to recover some of the dog bedding from Ohern’s house as evidence but was unable to store it at the sheriff’s office due to it being a biohazard.
Wagner told Cowboy State Daily she believes Ohern was hoarding the animals in an attempt to create what he called the “all-American dog breed,” which he characterized as a large dog with a long life span.
Cheyenne Animal Shelter Director Britney Tennant, who was present at Wednesday’s hearing, told Cowboy State Daily she hopes Ohern will agree to forfeit the animals. She said that while the animals in the shelter are improving their conditions, they will eventually begin to deteriorate if they are not adopted.
She said that should they be surrendered to the shelter, the process of placing the animals will be an “uphill battle.”
Jackson Walker can be reached at walker@cowboystatedaily.com.
