California man facing criminal charges for fatal shooting of protected mountain lion
The man is facing two misdemeanor charges.
A California man is facing criminal charges for the killing of a protected mountain lion.
Alfredo Gonzalez, 60, is accused of fatally shooting a collared mountain lion, known as P-38, back in July. The animal was found dead in the Simi Valley area with a gunshot wound to the head and its GPS-enabled radio collar vandalized, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
P-38 was part of a cougar population being studied by National Park Service biologists, the district attorney's office said. First collared in 2015, the 7-year-old male mountain lion predominately roamed parts of the Santa Susana Mountains, which surround Simi Valley in Southern California.
The biologists detected a mortality signal from the animal's collar on July 2, according to the district attorney's office.
![](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/mountain-lion-ap-ml-190911_hpMain.jpg)
The National Park Service did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment Wednesday morning.
It's unlawful to kill a mountain lion in the state without a permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The complaint filed by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office charges Gonzalez with two misdemeanor counts -- one for the unlawful taking of a protected mammal and another for vandalism of National Park Service property, the collar, valued at $950.
Gonzalez, a Simi Valley resident, will be arraigned in Ventura Superior Court on Oct. 9.