A Monmouth County judge has ordered that a man accused of abandoning a dog to drown in the ocean must remain in jail.

The judge said that 36-year-old Aaron Davis must remain in jail until at least Monday when he can have a formal bail hearing. Davis was in court Wednesday on animal cruelty charges.

Davis is accused of putting a 10-month-old pit bull inside a cage and leaving it near the ocean in the Sandy Hook Bay in Highlands on July 31. A passer-by found the dog, now named River, and rescued it. Due to the tide schedule, authorities say that the dog would have drowned if that passer-by, identified as Jennifer Vaz, did not come along. Vaz says that she plans to adopt River, who was not injured during the ordeal.

Davis surrendered to police Tuesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was charged with attempted animal cruelty, attempt to kill a living animal, abandoning a domestic animal to die and two counts of animal cruelty.

Davis’s attorney says that nearly all of the charges are considered disorderly persons charges, which are generally considered to be tickets. He objected to Davis staying in jail until Monday.

Prosecutors say they used a 2017 law that allows them to ask a judge to delay a suspect’s bail hearing for three days while they investigate the case. Davis’ attorney says that the three-day detention is “un-American.”