A Centralia man was arrested Saturday after he allegedly kicked a kitten belonging to his mother and sister before killing it with a lawnmower tire while off medications for mental health complications.
Juan Lopez Abrego, 26, was charged with first-degree animal cruelty Monday in Lewis County Superior Court, and bail was set at $10,000 by Judge Paul Strophy.
On May 19, a Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a dispatch from a mobile crisis team advising that Lopez Abrego was off of his medications and had killed a small kitten earlier in the day.
The deputy arrived at the residence on North Pearl Street where he contacted Lopez Abrego’s mother and sister. Lopez Abrego’s mother, through translations from his sister, told police that Lopez Abrego had kicked their kitten across the backyard multiple times before “smashing” it with a riding lawnmower tire/wheel, according to charging documents filed in Lewis County Superior Court.
Lopez Abrego’s mother showed the deputy video footage from her surveillance camera at the residence, and the deputy was able to observe the suspect kicking the kitten multiple times, leaving it to suffer and squirm around, and then eventually slam the tire on top of it, where it then appeared lifeless, court documents state.
Lopez Abrego’s mother explained to the deputy that her son suffers from mental health complications and has undergone evaluations and received multiple diagnoses for which he receives medications.
The deputy then went to the residents’ backyard and observed the deceased kitten still lying in the gravel and the lawnmower tire nearby. The deputy also observed surveillance footage.
The deputy contacted Lopez Abrego and asked him what caused him to kill the kitten, but Lopez Abrego reportedly denied he did so, according to court documents. When the deputy told him he watched the video of him doing it, Lopez Abrego denied any such video existed. He was placed under arrest for first-degree animal cruelty and booked into Lewis County Jail.
During Lopez Abrego’s preliminary hearing Monday, he did not reply to Strophy’s request to confirm his name while appearing virtually. Defense Attorney Rachael Tiller said she was unable to communicate with him, that she has competency concerns with Lopez Abrego and that he had a Centralia Municipal Court matter where he was found incompetent on July 8.
The state, led by Prosecuting Attorney Paul Masiello, prepared an evaluation order, Tiller said, and the defense attorney requested the court to allow an evaluation to take place.
Strophy expressed confusion to Tiller’s note, adding that Lopez Abrego’s family contacted the court administration Monday afternoon prior to the hearing to inform them that he would need an interpreter. Members of Lopez Abrego’s family were in attendance in person at the preliminary hearing.
“I was told that you were able to talk to him and you don’t believe he needs an interpreter,” Strophy told Tiller. “Is your position that he’s just being non-responsive as part of the mental health issue and not as a result of the language understanding?”
Tiller confirmed her belief that Lopez Abrego’s silence was due to mental health complications, but she said Lopez Abrego had responded “no” when she asked if he needed an interpreter. Tiller said there was no interpreter for Lopez Abrego’s municipal court case.
Strophy agreed to sign an order for a competency evaluation for Lopez Abrego. Masiello requested bail of $50,000 cash or surety and standard conditions, citing his prior felony convictions of second-degree theft in 2018 and a history of 13 warrants issued.
Strophy said the court is concerned about Lopez Abrego’s ability to return to court or follow court’s orders, pending the competency evaluation. He set bail at $10,000 cash or bond and added a condition of no possession or custody of domestic pets, along with the standard conditions.
Lopez Abrego’s next court date is Aug. 14.
