An Omaha man whose dog froze and starved to death in February, made his first appearance before a judge Monday where he waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

Keion Shelton faces a felony charge of cruelty to animals. Investigators say he left home for at least a week while leaving his pit bull outside without adequate food, water or shelter.

"People simply can't leave their animals out without food, water, and shelter in any kind of weather situation,” says Mark Langan with the Nebraska Humane Society. “We find more and more people just forget about the animals and leave them out. The animals are dying, which now will be a felony prosecution."

Shelton, who is out on bond, is the first person in Douglas County to be tried under a new law that makes the crime a felony.

Under the law, abandoning an animal resulting in serious injury, sickness or death is a Class 4 felony, carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison.