Do the man accused of taking turtle enters plea deal?

An Agat man, John Ray Cruz, agreed to plead guilty to unlawful possession of a sea turtle, according to federal court documents filed Wednesday.

Judiciary of Guam marshals, who were serving an arrest warrant at a home in Agat on June 6, 2016, spotted a green sea turtle in a purple plastic pool at the back of the house, according to court documents.

The court marshals then called the Department of Agriculture’s law enforcement section.

Agriculture conservation officers found the green sea turtle at the house in the purple pool looking “in bad health,” court papers state. The pool was reportedly filled with fresh water.

A conservation officer spoke with Cruz’s mother, who said Cruz brought the turtle from the beach and they were going to release it once the tide rose again, court documents state.

When conservation officers interviewed Cruz, he said his girlfriend found the turtle on the beach and told him about it. He said he went to the beach, picked up the turtle and put it in a pool with fresh water, court documents state.

“Cruz acknowledged the green sea turtle did not appear to be in good condition,” documents state. “Cruz further said they were going to return the green sea turtle to the water as soon as the tide rose.”

Biologist Cristian Cayanan and Department of Agriculture Fisheries supervisor Brent Tibbatts examined the turtle at Underwater World.

They saw that the flippers had tears as if they had been tied together, and it appeared as if the turtle’s shell was “scrubbed clean to remove all algae,” documents state.

The turtle was released back into the ocean.Cruz signed a plea deal, agreeing to plead guilty to possession of a threatened species.Lawyers asked that a change of plea hearing in federal court be scheduled for Friday.