The owner of a pet store in the Highland Park neighborhood of Des Moines has pleaded guilty to charges of animal abuse and neglect.
Michael Jensen, 64, the owner of Aqualand Pets Plus, 3600 Sixth Ave., was arrested March 16 and charged with three counts of animal neglect with serious injury or death and two counts of animal neglect with injury following a Jan. 12 complaint alleging neglect, including the death of an animal.
A court filing said the store had 11 snakes that were emaciated and were improperly shedding, two iguanas that were underweight and were improperly shedding, a parakeet that had a broken foot, two savannah monitor lizards that were deceased, and a bearded dragon that was in extremely poor health and was euthanized.
Jensen previously pleaded guilty to a charge of care and treatment of animals in 2024, when he was found to have had 19 rats in a 20-gallon tank, living in unsanitary conditions, and all with upper respiratory infections and eye issues. He paid a $250 fine.
Jensen had pleaded not guilty in April, with a jury trial scheduled for July 6, according to court filings. A plea hearing was later set for June 17, where he pleaded guilty to two counts of animal neglect with serious injury or death, an aggravated misdemeanor, and one count of animal neglect with injury, a serious misdemeanor.
One count of neglect with serious injury or death and one count of animal neglect with injury were dismissed.
Jensen was granted a deferred judgment, requiring a 2-year probationary period and $2,140 in civil penalties for each charge.
Jensen must also complete a psychological evaluation and undergo any recommended treatment and pay victim damages in an amount to be decided, according to a sentencing order. He must also not possess or own any animal or pets and complete an eight-hour online animal cruelty course as a condition of his probation
Kyle Werner is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Aqualand Pets Plus owner pleads guilty to animal neglect charges
Reporting by Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
