LIHU‘E — It took a jury of his peers less than an hour to find Michael Wong of Puhi not guilty on a single misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. In the courtroom of 5th Circuit Judge Randal Valenciano on Tuesday
LIHU‘E — It took a jury of his peers less than an hour to find Michael Wong of Puhi not guilty on a single misdemeanor count of animal cruelty.
In the courtroom of 5th Circuit Judge Randal Valenciano on Tuesday and Wednesday, Wong testified that a stray cat darted across the road, he swerved to avoid it but accidentally ran it over, then later disposed of the cat in his garbage can, according to an e-mail from Edmund Acoba, state deputy public defender.
Deputy Public Defender Dena Renti Cruz represented Wong. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar represented the state.
According to Kaua‘i Police Department investigators at the time of Wong’s arrest, Wong reportedly drove a Toyota sedan on Ono Street in Puhi, crossed the double solid yellow lines and struck an orange cat that was sitting on the road near the shoulder on the opposite side.
Wong then allegedly got out of his car, picked up the cat, placed the cat in a bucket and tossed the bucket in a rubbish can at his Ono Street residence, according to the earlier county press release.
A witness called police to report the incident and police responded, according to an earlier county press release. The responding officer checked to see if the cat needed medical attention, but the cat showed no signs of life.
The officer then arrested Wong on the misdemeanor charge.
Earlier information indicated the cat was not a stray, but was someone’s pet, who was notified of the cat’s death.
“We’re disappointed, but the jury did its job and we thank them for that,” Kollar said in a telephone interview Wednesday. “The jury made its decision and we abide by that.”
There will be no state appeal of the jury’s decision, he added.
• Paul C. Curtis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com
