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The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said Monday that a Mission Viejo man accused of throwing the injured cat into a trash can was released after posting bail.
Joseph Harrison Parker, 58, pleaded not guilty after being charged with animal abuse and animal abandonment.
The District Attorney’s Office has accused the Chief Justice of the Superior Court of allowing Parker to be released to the public.
“Despite objections from prosecutors, Orange County Superior Court Chief Sheri Sundecky reduced Parker’s bail from statutory $20,000 to $2,000. Parker posted bail over the weekend and was released,” the DA’s office said.
In response, the Orange County Superior Court said “the courts and judicial officers are prohibited by court ethics rules to discuss cases in front of the bench.”
Authorities said surveillance video captured the moment Parker threw the cat into the trash, leaving the animal with a broken jaw, broken blood vessels in his eyes, a concussion and a severely swollen eye. And the trash can was planned to be empty before the car was rescued.
The MVA is seeking the public’s help to identify men involved in the ongoing animal cruelty investigation.
Surveillance footage was filmed by throwing the injured cat in a trash can near the 25,000 block of Cabot Road in Laguna Hill. https://t.co/xqaeen7b7t pic.twitter.com/7ksuttfcd8
– MissionViejo (@mitsionviejoca) March 12, 2025
The arrest came hours after city officials released the image of the man and sought the public’s help in finding him.
“Through our social media, the cat owner came forward and identified the man as a roommate who saw it on video. We investigated it and could potentially be considered that the suspect is violating animal cruelty.”
The cat Booboo is slowly recovering, animal sources said.
If convicted, Parker could potentially last up to three years in a state prison.
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