KFOX News At Nine

On July 13, 2005, Dona Ana county sheriffs deputies arrested 35-year old Able Hernandez on animal cruelty charges- animal cruelty is a felony in New Mexico.

"This is a very bad case," said Sgt. Ronnie Granados of the Dona Ana sheriffs department. "The animal had suffered quite a bit."

Investigators allege Hernandez moved from his home, north of Las Cruces, and left his dog behind.

When animal control arrived, they found a dog that had been left without any food or water for a week.

"This was extremely bad," said Dona Ana county animal control supervisor Ellie Chote.

The animal, with a chain so tight around its neck that it left behind an open wound, was found with an estimated 2,000 ticks on its body.

Hernandez remains jailed at the Dona Ana county detention facility under a $10,000 bond.