A Southern California man was charged with felony animal cruelty after allegedly using food to lure and kill multiple cats over a period of months.
Alejandro Oliveros Acosta, 46, from Santa Ana, is set to face the court on Wednesday with charges including the theft of a companion animal, specifically a Bengal lynx that he is accused of enticing and taking, along with methamphetamine possession, according to the prosecutors.
It is unclear if he has secured legal representation for the matter. The Orange County Public Defender’s Office did not provide any comments when asked about the situation on Tuesday night.
Oliveros was apprehended on April 24 following investigations by police departments in Santa Ana and Westminster. He was released after posting a $40,000 bail, as reported by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office in a statement made on Tuesday.
Authorities said reports of a man luring cats with canned food and killing them by beating or stomping them began in Oliveros’ neighborhood and other central Orange County communities late last year and continued to come in through spring.
The Santa Ana and Westminster police departments zeroed in on Oliveros after witnesses identified him as a suspect in crimes against cats, and a search of his home on April 23 turned up evidence linking him to the attacks, Santa Ana police said in a statement.
The DA’s office and police also noted multiple incidents in which witnesses described a white Toyota pickup used by the suspect.
According to the DA’s statement on Tuesday, crimes connected to the defendant are alleged to include an April 5 fatal stomping of a cat captured on security video; an April 3 report of a man holding a cat over his head and slamming it down; and a March 21 report of a companion animal, a Bengal lynx, stolen after it was lured by a man with a can of food who was using a white Toyota Tacoma pickup.
That cat, named Clubber, was ultimately returned to its owner, authorities said.
“Between November and April, seven reports of dead and injured cats were reported to Santa Ana Animal Control, including animals suffering from broken backs and bloody faces,” the D.A.’s office said.
On April 27, some of the residents who attended a nighttime Santa Ana vigil urging justice in the matter became unruly, vandalized property and threw objects, the city’s police said in a statement.
“While we support the community’s right to peacefully assemble, the Santa Ana Police Department will not tolerate acts of violence, vandalism, or any threats to public safety,” it said.
Oliveros’ ability to remain free amid the ongoing investigation and case has angered some animal advocates. On Tuesday, the district attorney’s office said it will seek a much higher bail amount, $100,000, arguing Oliveros poses a danger to the public.
The defendant faces the possibility of more than five years behind bars if convicted on all counts, the DA’s office said.
Santa Ana, the seat of Orange County, is about 33 miles south-southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
