A Mission Viejo man who is accused of throwing an injured cat into a dumpster was released after posting bail, the Orange County District Attorney’ office said Monday.
Joseph Harrison Parker, 58, pleaded not guilty after he was charged with animal cruelty and abandoning an animal.
The district attorney’s office blamed a Superior Court commissioner for allowing Parker to be released into the public.
“Despite objections from prosecutors, Orange County Superior Court Commissioner Sheri Sandecki reduced Parker’s bail from the 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 its “court and judicial officers are prohibited by ethical rules of court from discussing cases before the bench.”
Authorities said surveillance video captured the moment Parker threw the cat into the dumpster, leaving the animal with a broken jaw, broken blood vessels in her eye, a concussion and a badly swollen eye. And the dumpster was scheduled to be emptied before the car was rescued.
MVAS is seeking the public’s help in identifying a man related to an ongoing animal cruelty investigation.
Surveillance footage captured the man discarding an injured cat into a dumpster near the 25000 block of Cabot Road in Laguna Hills.https://t.co/xQAEen7B7t pic.twitter.com/7kSuttFCD8
— Mission Viejo (@MissionViejoCA) March 12, 2025
The arrest came a few hours after city officials released the image of the man, asking for the public’s assistance in finding the person.
“Through our social media, the cat owner came forward and identified the man as her roommate seen in the video, and we conducted an investigation and have probable cause that the suspect was in violation of animal cruelty,” said Mission Viejo Animal Services Supervisor Kyle Werner.
The cat, BooBoo, is slowly recovering, animal officials said.
If convicted, Parker can face up to three years in state prison.
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