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LAS VEGAS — A Las Vegas man has been charged in connection with the drowning death of a cat last month, prosecutors said on Thursday, May 14.Joshua Booth, 51, was charged with one count of willfully or maliciously torture, maim or mutilate an animal kept for companionship or pleasure causing death, a category B felony under Nevada law, according to the Clark County District Attorney's Office. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 23.Prosecutors said the charge stems from Las Vegas Police Department officers responding to a call from a neighboring woman on April 12. The woman later provided surveillance footage that allegedly showed her cat, Rita, being thrown from Booth's garage into the street while soaking wet.Investigators later searched the garage and found "a garden hose, a tub filled with water," and another cat that was wet and appeared to be in distress, according to prosecutors. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police later arrested Booth, KLAS-TV reported, citing arrest documents."My office takes animal abuse cases extremely seriously," Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in a released statement on May 14. "Acts of cruelty against defenseless animals are disturbing and will not be tolerated in our community. We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable and bring justice for all victims."'It hurt my heart really'The incident occurred at a townhome about five miles east of the Las Vegas Strip on April 12, KLAS-TV reported, citing the arrest documents. Booth told officers he killed the cat in self-defense and claimed the animal had "spontaneously drowned," the television station reported.Investigators disputed that account, adding that scratches on Booth’s arms could be consistent with a cat "fighting to live" after being held underwater, KLAS-TV reported."It hurt my heart really," Bryce Henderson, president of No Kill Las Vegas, told the local station. "To have to see what that cat went through. And have such a cruel person do something like that."USA TODAY reached out to attorneys listed for Booth in court records for comment and to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for the arrest report.What is Reba's Law?Prosecutors said Booth was charged under Reba's Law, a Nevada statute that strengthened penalties for severe animal abuse cases. The law elevated certain offenses to a Class B felony and increased the maximum possible punishment to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.Reba's Law stems from a 2024 animal abuse case in Las Vegas involving an English bulldog named Reba. Prosecutors claimed that Markeisha Foster and Isaac Laushaul Jr. left the dog outdoors during extreme summer heat near a dumpster, sealed inside a taped plastic container.Though Good Samaritans rescued Reba, the dog later died of heatstroke, according to a news release announcing charges in the case.Foster and Laushaul were initially charged with a felony charge of cruelty to animals, then a category D felony, which carried a maximum of four years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Laushaul pleaded guilty to a felony animal cruelty charge in September and was sentenced to 16 to 48 months in prison, according to a release from Wolfson's office.Foster pleaded guilty to one count of attempt to kill, disfigure, or maim an animal of another in June, according to the court record. The Las Vegas Review-Journal, citing the unsealed plea agreement, reported that Foster agreed to "cooperate voluntarily" with authorities. At the time, Wolfson said Nevada’s existing statutes did not allow for strong enough punishment. The legislation was signed into law by Gov. Joe Lombardo on June 10, 2025, according to the Nevada Current.
