California: "Cats are his favorite animal" says aunt of Cody High, 24, who's accused of nearly killing cat after taping its face and legs and stuffing it inside a backpack

Partial criminal history of CODY TRENT HIGH: 
Name: Cody Trent High
White male
Brown/brown, 6'0", 185
DOB: 03/11/1991

Arrest Date: 10/15/2013
Charge: VC23152B - DUI ALCOHOL, Misdemeanor
Bond amount: $21,000

Arrest Date: 10/15/2013
HS11350A - POS NARC CONTRL SUBSTANCE, Felony
Bond amount: $32,000

Arrest date: 04/24/2014
Charge: Possession controlled substance, felony
Bond amount: NO BAIL

Arrest date: 06/15/2014
Charge: HS11377A - POSSESS CONTROL SUBSTANCE, Felony
Bail amount: NO BAIL

Arrest date: 06/15/2014
Charge: HS11350A - NARCOTICS OTHER THAN MARIJUANA POSSESSION, Felony
Bail amount: $10,000

Arrest date: 10/05/2014
Charge - HS11350A NARCOTICS OTHER THAN MARIJUANA POSSESSION, Felony
Bail amount: $11,000.00

Online records show that he was picked up arrested twice by police in 2015, but the charges aren't listed as to why.

Arrest date: 01/17/2016
Charge: CRUELTY ANOTHERS ANIMAL
Bond amount: $7,500

Arrest date: 01/17/2016
Charge: PROBATION AND SUSPENSION
Bond amount: $0

Arrest date: 01/17/2016
Charge: FALSE INFORMATION
Bond amount: $5,000

Arrest date: 01/17/2016
Charge: POSSESS PARAPHERNALIA
Bond amount: $500

CALIFORNIA -- A man arrested after Clovis police found a cat bound with electrical tape in his backpack last weekend has pleaded not guilty.

The cat is recovering now after police found it with tape around its nose, legs, and neck.

Action News talked to family members of the suspect, Cody High outside of court Wednesday. They called him an animal lover who got caught in the middle of an unusual act based on his respect for cats. But prosecutors aren't buying it and they're worried about what he might do next.

"Cody has never hurt an animal in his whole life and he never would," said his aunt, Jena High.

Cody High's family members deny he's the person responsible for the savage tape job that nearly killed an orange tabby. Clovis police say they found the cat zipped up inside High's backpack - AND THAT CLOVIS ADMITTED IT WAS HIS BLACK ELECTRICAL TAPE which was wrapped around the cat's face and paws.

But High pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty charges Wednesday and his aunt came to court with an explanation.

"Cody found that backpack like that with the cat dead in it, then he was going to go bury it," Jena High said. "And you don't know his love for animals either. I'll tell you that right now. This kid loves animals and cats are his favorite animal."

That doesn't match what he told police, though.

The 24-year-old has three prior convictions for drug possession, and because he was on probation, he couldn't stop officers from searching his backpack.

When they did, investigators say he admitted to owning the tape wrapped all around the cat.

ABC30 legal analyst Tony Capozzi says that makes the aunt's story seem like a stretch. And he says the images are troubling -- even if you take High's drug troubles into consideration.

"He may not have been under his proper senses when he did this," Capozzi said. "But then again, this may escalate to something else where he does this to a human being."

A veterinarian said the cat was near death when police got him out of the backpack, but after a few days of recovery, he's almost back to normal.

High's family members tell Action News he thought it was already dead when he found it, and if he could've saved it himself, he would've.

"Cody's got a heart of gold," said Jena High. "I mean, he'd give you the shirt off his back. He's got a drug problem. That's his downfall right there, but it's still not going to make him torture a cat."

High's aunt tells us she thinks it's significant that the cat was microchipped, but police haven't been able to track down the owner.

Her nephew is facing up to three years in prison if he's convicted.

(ABC30 - Jan 20, 2016)

Earlier:

• California: Police arrest Cody High, 24, after finding a nearly dead cat wrapped electrical tape in his backpack