A Maricopa County judge ruled yesterday that more than 50 animals seized from a Rio Verde property last month be returned to their owner, Benjamin Alvarez.

The decision followed a full day of testimony in Justice Court on Sept. 16, where investigators, veterinarians, animal advocates and Alvarez himself took the stand. Ultimately, the court found that prosecutors had not met the burden of proof to show the animals were being neglected or cruelly mistreated.

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