Police seeking charges after witness saw a man attempt to leave a rabbit on side of road

A man’s attempt to abandon a rabbit on the side of the road Friday was derailed when a witness alerted police, according to an incident report.

Police were working on an animal cruelty warrant for a man who is suspected of attempting to abandon the rabbit after leaving it in a cage covered with a towel on the side of the road, the report states.

Police responded to a call reporting an abandoned rabbit Friday morning at the corner of 28th Avenue North and Oak Street, according to the report. Upon arrival, an officer saw a rabbit cage covered by a towel that contained a live black rabbit, bedding, food and water, the report states. The cage also contained an extra bin of food and a half-full bag of extra bedding, according to the report.

The witness said she was driving by 28th Avenue North when she saw two men carrying a cage with a rabbit in it, the report states. She then did a U-turn and stopped to ask the men what they were doing with the animal and she said they asked if she wanted it, according to the report.

After some discussion as to who owned the rabbit and why it was being put on the corner of the road, she said the man doing most of the talking changed his story, which began with him saying it was a homeless person’s pet before he admitted it was his but that he couldn’t have it in his apartment and didn’t want it anymore, the report states. The woman said she asked why he didn’t take it to the animal shelter and the man said that was their next step if no one picked it up off the side of the road, according to the report.

She said the other man told the first man to stop talking so much and to quit answering questions, the report states. The witness then followed the men back to an apartment on 28th Avenue North, where they got into their cars and left, according to the report.

The woman copied the man’s license plate number and gave it to police, the report states. The officer took the rabbit into custody to be taken to the Grand Strand Humane Society, according to the report.

The officer went to the man’s residence, where no one answered, the report states. The car with the license plate provided by the witness was no longer on scene, according to the report.

The officer then sought a warrant for animal abandonment, the report states.

This story was originally published March 31, 2019 at 2:31 PM.