A heartland man accused of an extreme case of animal abuse has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge.

Ross Cozad was arrested for animal cruelty in June. Authorities say he chained his dog to the back of his pickup truck and dragged the animal from Omaha to Blair.

The incident caused enough outrage that an animal activist group formed in response to the case.

The group planned to be at Cozad's trial later this week but now there’s word from the Washington County Attorney’s office that there will be no trial. Cozad has pleaded guilty to the amended charge of Offensive Disposal of a Carcass.

The reason for the amended charge included pre-trial publicity, the investigative reports from the Washington County sheriff's office and the hesitancy of the state's witnesses to testify.

While this case was outside of the Nebraska Humane Society's jurisdiction, the organization has worked for tougher animal abuse laws.

The Humane Society’s Pam Wiese says, “We have been working continually with the legal system to make sure animal abuse cases are taken seriously.”

Wiese can cite two cases in the past six months that did put people behind bars. She says the message is growing that this kind of behavior won't be tolerated.

“In our city we have seen more jail time for cases of animal abuse and we are continuing to see that,” she says.

Ross Cozad won't face jail time. He faces a maximum $100 fine plus court costs.

Tougher animal abuse laws took effect in Nebraska in July. A second offense can be enhanced to a class four felony. That comes with a potential penalty of up to a year in jail and $1,000 fine.