A trial slated to begin Wednesday for animal cruelty allegations has been continued to the next Comanche County jury trial docket in September.
Justin Michael Stanley, 41, was slated to begin trial in the courtroom of Comanche County District Judge Scott D. Meaders for a felony allegation of cruelty to animals, records indicate.
The case was continued due to a recent illness of Stanley’s counsel, Art Mata, of Lawton, that left him unable to prepare the case for Wednesday’s scheduled beginning.
Stanley is accused of leaving two dogs to die from lack of food and care inside a home at 203 Deer Drive in Cache in March 2021, according to the charge. A witness told police Stanley had moved out of the home and left the dogs inside and no one had been there “for quite some time.”
The two dogs, a Chihuahua and a German Shepherd, died from what the veterinarian described as having decayed from the inside out, according to the affidavit.
Stanley has been free on $5,000 bond following his initial court appearance in April 2021.