Marcelino Robledo Guardado, a resident of North Salem, has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty after allegedly abandoning three dogs in Putnam County.

Police found the dogs last month wandering Clarence Fahnestock Park, covered in fleas and ticks. The alleged animal abandonment prompted a three-week investigation to find the owner, which was successful through the use of multiple sources, including the Westchester-Putnam Real Time Crime Center and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to officials.

Guardado admitted to leaving the dogs and now faces three counts of animal abandonment and three counts of animal cruelty.