PUHI, Kaua'i – A 26-year-old Puhi man was arrested and charged Monday with second-degree cruelty to animals, and was released Tuesday without bail.

A preliminary hearing has been set for Feb. 18 for Michael Wong, who allegedly was driving a Toyota sedan on Ono Street in Puhi about 2:30 p.m. Monday when he crossed the double solid yellow lines and struck an orange cat that was sitting on the road near the shoulder on the opposite side.

Police were told that Wong then 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.

A witness called police to report the incident.

Police said 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.

Police returned to Wong's home Tuesday morning and recovered the cat from the trash can. It was taken to the Kaua'i Humane Society, where a necropsy was performed.

The necropsy revealed that the injuries sustained by the cat were consistent with being run over by a car, Kaua'i officials said.