Man Accused of Tossing Dog From Overpass Faces Felony

Prosecutors on Thursday filed a felony charge of cruelty to an animal against a man who reportedly threw his parents’ poodle off a freeway overpass after an argument.

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Judge Michael McCartin ordered Steven Gibson, 31, to be arraigned today on the charge, which carries a possible $20,000 fine and a three-year prison term, prosecutor David Himelson said.

Gibson’s bail was set at $10,000. He was booked into Orange County Jail on Tuesday after his arrest in Fountain Valley.

Gibson, who is unemployed and lives with his parents, was seen walking on the Magnolia Avenue overpass of the San Diego Freeway at 6 p.m. Tuesday, just blocks from his home in Fountain Valley, police said.

A witness told police that he saw Gibson carrying the champagne-colored dog and then drop it, said Fountain Valley Lt. Mike Hanarahan.

The dog, an 8-year-old poodle named Maurice, died instantly, police said. Its collar had been removed earlier, police said, indicating that the act might have been intentional.

Gibson “apparently was upset about something after a disagreement with his parents,” Hanarahan said.