OLYMPIA -- A 26-year-old Thurston County man is accused of 12 counts of animal cruelty for allegedly starving, killing and eating pets he purchased on Craigslist.



In a court appearance Monday, he was ordered held in lieu of $150,000 bail, The Olympian reported. The man was arrested Friday and appeared in court Monday.



He has not yet been formally charged, however, so Q13 FOX News is not naming him.



According to court documents, on Feb. 5, a man who had been renting a room in the suspect's house in Thurston County told authorities that he believed the suspect had been buying pets listed on Craigslist and that he was starving, torturing and slaughtering them.



When Animal Services obtained a search warrant for the house, the suspect admitted that he was slaughtering rabbits "for food."



Animal Services said they found chicken coops containing chickens covered with fecal matter and mud. In the basement, they found coolers full of rabbit carcasses and several bags full of Guinea pig carcasses. The entrance to the basement was covered in fresh blood, they reported.



Four live rabbits were found in small cages without food or water, the investigators said. In the attic of the home, they found a crate containing two small dogs; there was no food or water for the animals and they were later found to be dehydrated, the court documents said.



“These are merely allegations at this point,” Thurston County Superior Court Judge Erik Price said at Monday's court hearing, “but they are truly disturbing.”























