Wake County man charged with 9 counts of animal cruelty
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Fuquay-Varina officers charged Michael Thomas Duke with nine animal cruelty counts.
- Initial nine felony charges were dismissed; he will be charged with misdemeanors.
- Wake County Animal Control rescued nine dogs from unsanitary conditions.
A Holly Springs man was charged with nine counts of animal cruelty Monday.
Michael Thomas Duke, 64, is accused of animal cruelty against nine dogs, according to a Tuesday statement from the Town of Fuquay-Varina, whose officers charged Duke.
Wake County Animal Control requested that officers respond to Duke’s home on Wilbon Road after receiving reports of abandoned animals at his residence.
“Officers and Wake County Animal Control discovered severe unsanitary living conditions and rescued nine dogs from the premises,” the town of Fuquay-Varina wrote in a statement.
Duke was initially charged with nine felony counts of animal cruelty, but those charges were dismissed because the charging officer found “no evidence of maliciousness or killing of an animal,” court records show.
Duke was charged with nine counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty Tuesday. He is being held at the Wake County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond.
A warrant for Duke’s arrest states that he owns the dogs.
Where will dogs go?
All of the dogs are alive and have been transferred to Wake County Animal Control, the Town of Fuquay-Varina said.
Wake County Animal Center is closing temporarily on Friday for about six weeks, though essential Animal Control work will continue, The News & Observer previously reported.
Wake County Animal Services Director Jennifer Lynn Federico said the Animal Center will be repaired in phases, so any cruelty case dogs will be kept at the shelter while the center partners with boarding kennels to keep 75 other dogs.
The dogs are not available to adopt as they are part of an active investigation, Federico said. But for those looking to help, Federico had a suggestion: Be observant and know your neighbors.
“We’d much rather get in on these cases earlier on where we can help the person and the animals before it gets to this point,” Federico said. “So that is a huge community effort, because Animal Control can’t be everywhere and see everything.”
This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 7:04 PM.
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