At about 2:20am Monday morning, Turlock Police and Fire responded to a cat that had been set on fire in an enclosed dumpster area behind Tilly’s, located at 2737 Countryside Drive.

Officers arrived on scene and contacted Joshua Scott, 21, of Modesto, near the Verizon Wireless store.

Scott matched the description of someone who had set another cat on fire two weeks ago and had blood and hair underneath his shoes. He was also on probation for burglary and driving under the influence of drugs.

Through investigation, Scott was linked to both fires and was arrested.

Scott was then placed in the back of a patrol vehicle where he intentionally hit his head and caused a laceration, while also having a “seizure” which the AMR medic who responded said was likely fake.

Scott was transported to Emanuel Medical Center where he was medically cleared. He was then booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on two counts of animal abuse and one count of violation of probation.

Though Scott is reportedly from Modesto, he’s known as a transient here in Turlock.