A man who was caught on surveillance footage throwing an injured cat into a dumpster and then driving off has been charged with animal cruelty, officials announced Monday.
Joseph Harrison Parker, 58, of Mission Viejo, is accused of putting the injured cat into a garbage bag and then tossing it into a dumpster earlier this month near a shopping center on the 25000 block of Cabot Road in Laguna Hills.
The cat was rescued 15 hours later just before trash was set to be collected that day, Mission Viejo Animal Services said. The female cat then underwent treatment for serious injuries that included a broken jaw, broken blood vessels in her eye and a concussion.
Video of the incident was released wide on social media and, last week, Parker was identified as the suspect and arrested by deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
The owner of the cat came forward to identify Parker, who she described as her roommate, officials said. The cat, originally nicknamed Willow by veterinary staff, was revealed to be named BooBoo.
“Only someone who is truly depraved would make the decision to abuse an animal who has no way to protect itself,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a news release. “The abuse of any defenseless animal will not be tolerated and those who engage in violence against animals will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Parker has been charged with one felony count of animal cruelty and a misdemeanor charge of abandoning a domestic dog or cat. He appeared in court last Friday and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He was released after posting $2,000 bail — a figure that the District Attorney’s Office said it believed was too low.
If convicted as charged, Parker could face up to three years in state prison.
BooBoo, officials said, underwent surgery to repair her broken jaw and is “slowly improving.”
