Michigan man accused of hoarding Chihuahuas found competent to stand trial for animal cruelty

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

DEARBORN, Mich. — A man who had more than 100 live dogs and 150 dead ones in his Detroit-area home has been found competent to stand trial on animal cruelty charges.

The attorney for Kenneth Lang Jr., 56, on Friday waived his client’s right to a preliminary examination during a hearing before Dearborn District Judge William Hultgren. The case now moves to the circuit court.

Hultgren in September had ordered the psychiatric evaluation.

Authorities discovered in July that Lang was hoarding Chihuahuas and Chihuahua mixes. They say some of the dead dogs found in freezers in the Dearborn home may have been killed with an injection to the heart or were partially eaten by other dogs.

Lang’s attorney, James Schmier, says his client needs treatment for an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

-- Associated Press