Man arrested in Rio Verde exotic animal raid speaks out

Owner of exotic animals speaks out after cruelty claims

Ben Alvarez, who was accused of neglecting his exotic animals, is speaking out after a judge ruled in his favor, but he said he lost jobs and received death threats after a public outcry over the initial allegations.

RIO VERDE, Ariz. - The man accused of neglecting his exotic animals is breaking his silence, saying the case altered his life.

The backstory:

Ben Alvarez, who was accused of mistreating and neglecting his animals on his Rio Verde property, shared his side of the story after negative messages online caused him to lose jobs. 

He said he was sick with worry over the prospect of losing his animals, or even going to jail.

"He wants to clear his name. He wants people to hear that the judge made an informed decision on the evidence. And the evidence was overwhelming that these animals were perfectly cared for," said attorney Melissa Baugh.

Alvarez said investigators and people online rushed to snap judgments.

What he's saying:

"There were all of these people trashing me on social media and the news," Alvarez said. "They hear one side of the story but they don’t hear the other side."

On Aug. 2, deputies from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office raided Alvarez’s property, taking 42 of his animals, including horses, goats, camels and zebras, after claiming there wasn’t enough water on site.

"It was my word against MCSO and it was very devastating, stressful, not knowing what could happen," Alvarez said.

In court, Alvarez explained that a leak in his water containers caused it to seep out. He told the judge he would go to the property several times a day and that the animals were properly fed and watered.

Dig deeper:

"In court there were a lot of pictures of Mr. Alvarez’s property, and there was nothing deplorable about it," Baugh said. "Witnesses testified on how clean it was, no feces, nothing. You could tell that someone was out there and cares for that property daily."

Ultimately, the judge ruled in Alvarez’s favor, finding that the sheriff’s office did not prove the animals were mistreated, and ordered they be returned.

"I was about to jump and cry at the same time," Alvarez said. "I was very happy."

But Baugh says the impact on her client was immense, calling MCSO’s case both "deficient" and "irresponsible."

"Just the misinformation that was put out that eventually led to some serious hate to Mr. Alvarez, even some death threats that he got as a result of this which I think was very irresponsible on their part," Baugh said.

Alvarez got all of his animals back on Friday, claiming the animals are in worse shape now, than when they were taken from him.

What's next:

A representative from MCSO said that because this is an ongoing investigation, they cannot comment at this time.