Not Guilty Plea Entered in Animal Neglect Case - KHGI-TV/KWNB-TV/KHGI-CD-Grand Island, Kearney, Hastings

A North Platte man has pleaded not guilty to charges of animal neglect after his dog was found infested with maggots.

Phillip Moreno Jr., 46, will go to trial Jan. 15 facing felony charges of abandoning or cruelly neglecting his Yorkshire terrier.

Two women reportedly told authorities that the dog had masking tape wrapped around its midsection and was filthy when they found it.

The women say they took the dog to a veterinarian, who discovered a wound under the tape that was infested with maggots. The maggots were so bad they entered the dog's internal organs leading to it being euthanized.