On Friday, a Humboldt County Superior Court judge denied to release a Cutten man accused of four felony counts of animal cruelty from custody on his own recognizance.

Scott Anthony Haynie, 34, pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday, more than six months after more than 100 animals were found in and around his Avalon Drive mobile home. Of those, 35 animals died, including a dog, a ferret, lizards, snakes and chickens. His bail for the animal cruelty charges remains at $15,000 and his bail for a misdemeanor registration violation is $5,000.

Haynie had been out of the county since early January, as his mother in Woodland, Calif., was involved in a serious car accident, according to the arrest warrant declaration. Evidence indicates the man’s power was shut off in his absence because he hadn’t paid his $2,000 electricity bill, contributing to the death of the animals, the arrest warrant declaration said. Neighbors alerted authorities to dead animals and iguanas outside Haynie’s 8-foot by 60-foot home in mid-January.

When he appeared in court Friday, Haynie wore an orange jail jumpsuit and at one point, interrupted the deputy district attorney who was making his case to keep Haynie in custody.

Deputy District Attorney Max Cardoza argued that Haynie failed to provide proper care for the animals, which resulted in the death of many. “The animals were essentially left to die a slow, long and miserable death,” Cardoza said, after which Haynie interrupted to say he had a caretaker.

His attorney, Humboldt County Public Defender Jonathan McCrone, said Haynie didn’t want to talk about the merits of the case, but wanted to go back to Woodland so he can finish caring for his mother, after which he’d come back to Humboldt County and deal with the court proceedings.

Judge Timothy Cissna denied letting Haynie go due to the seriousness of the felony charges and the large number of animals that died.