(AP) — A 47-year-old North Platte man whose dog was infested with maggots has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor animal abuse.

Phillip Moreno made a plea agreement with prosecutors, who lowered the felony charge of abandoning or cruelly neglecting the animal.

Moreno made his plea in Lincoln County District Court on Tuesday and was fined $500.

Two women had told authorities the dog had masking tape around its midsection and was filthy when the women found it last summer. The women say they took the dog to a veterinarian, who discovered a maggot-infested wound beneath the tape.

Officials say the maggots had spread to the dog’s internal organs, so it was euthanized.