A Renfrew man facing dozens of animal neglect and cruelty charges was accepted into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program.

Paul J. Frederick, 54, was accepted into the ARD program. The charges will be withdrawn if he completes terms of the program, including 24 months of probation.

Common Pleas Court Judge Joseph Kubit accepted Frederick into the program Monday, a day before a pre-trial hearing was scheduled.

State police filed 66 charges against Frederick including two felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals; misdemeanor charges of neglect of animals, resisting arrest, obstruction; and numerous summary charges of neglect of animals and dog license violations.

Terms of the ARD require Frederick to forfeit his claim to any of the animals seized from his property in the case and require him to withdraw the return of property suit he filed against the county. Court records show the suit was discontinued on April 30.

Another term involves his wife, Melissa Frederick. If she decides to own Maine coon cats, she must provide quarterly veterinarian reports about the cats care and condition.

The terms include a separate agreement in which the Association for Needy and Neglected Animals, known as the ANNA Shelter, in Erie, agrees to discontinue its civil cost of care petition against Frederick and his wife for more than $147,436 for the cost of caring for 50 dogs, cats, goats, pigs and ducks that were seized in April 2024 during a police investigation that began with the death of two German shepherd dogs.

State police were dispatched April 5 to a parking lot adjacent to the Vagabond Center on Whitestown Road in Butler Township, where a deputy county sheriff’s canine had located two dead German shepherds in separate garbage bags, according to an affidavit.

A township police officer who was called to the scene found both dogs had been implanted with microchips, which led police to the owners, the Fredericks, according to the affidavit.

Paul Frederick arrived at the scene and denied having knowledge about the dogs and denied having any missing dogs until the officer told him one of the dogs was registered to his wife. Then, he said a dog died about a week ago and his son was supposed to bury it, according to the affidavit.

State police then went to the Fredericks’ home to conduct a welfare check on the remaining animals.

Troopers returned the Vagabond Center and found the two German shepherds had been buried in shallow graves near where they were found. The dogs were taken to the ANNA Shelter for a necropsy, because they were underweight and had no external wounds, according to the affidavit.

On April 6, a veterinarian at the shelter told police both dogs died of starvation and had no muscle mass, no fluids, no physical injuries, no spinal injuries and were about 30 pounds underweight, according to the affidavit.