Suffolk County prosecutors charged a Mastic man Wednesday with felony criminal mischief and animal cruelty after investigators said he pulled up to a home in Mastic Beach and shot a cat with a BB or pellet gun.

John Lettieri, 53, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the two felony charges, including aggravated cruelty to animals.

Lettieri is accused of pulling his black Ford F-350 pickup in front of the house in nearby Mastic Beach at 4:15 a.m. on Aug. 15 and firing twice at Coco, a 12-year-old cat in front of the home, according to a criminal complaint.

Police said in court records that the owner of the cat was a stranger to Lettieri and the alleged shooting appeared to be random. Prosecutors believe Lettieri used a pellet gun or a BB gun in the shooting that partially paralyzed the cat and

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