Hernandez

A Marshalltown man has been charged with animal neglect causing death after one of his dogs was found dead outside of an East Linn Street residence on Friday evening.

At 7:11 p.m. Friday, Marshalltown police officers responded to 510 E. Linn St. to conduct a welfare check on dogs left unattended outside at the house, according to a press release from the Marshalltown Police Department. Upon arrival, they found three dogs tied up in the backyard.

Two of the dogs appeared to be in distress from the oppressive heat, and one was deceased. According to weather.gov, the outside air temperature at the time was 93 to 94 degrees, and the heat index was 107 to 115 degrees.

Upon further investigation, officers discovered four canine puppies inside the residence that appeared to be neglected. All of the dogs were taken into protective custody. Rosalio Manuel Hernandez, 24, of Marshalltown was arrested and charged with one count of animal neglect causing death and one count of animal neglect not resulting in injury or death.

Further details regarding court dates and trial information were not immediately available.