Injured rabbit abandoned
Brockport, NY (US)Incident Date: Friday, Sep 3, 2010
County: Ontario
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Bradlee E. Payne
An Ontario County man accused of abandoning an injured rabbit in Brockport last week is facing animal cruelty charges.
Bradlee E. Payne, 22, of Farmington, was charged Wednesday with misdemeanor abandonment charge of an injured rabbit, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester announced today.
Payne is accused of releasing a rabbit into a field behind the Country Max store, 4875 Route 19, Brockport, where he is the store manager, said Humane Society spokeswoman Adrienne McHargue.
Cruelty investigators responded to a tip from the Animal Cruelty hotline from someone who saw a man release the injured rabbit last Friday.. The witness followed the man back into the store and confronted him.
The witness also caught the rabbit which had a severe injury with an open wound, McHargue said. The witness took the rabbit to a veterinarian, who euthanized the rabbit due to the extent of its injuries, she said.
McHargue said Payne told investigators that he released the wounded rabbit.
“The Humane Society relies on our community to hold retail stores that sell animals for profit accountable for proper care and humane treatment,” said Richard Gerbasi, vice-president of operations and field services at the Humane Society at Lollypop Farm. “We are grateful to the witness for acting on behalf of a rabbit that was suffering and abandoned, and for helping us to hold the responsible party accountable for their callous actions.”
Payne was issued an appearance ticket for Sweden Town Court for Sept. 20. If convicted, Payne faces up to one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine, McHargue said. References |
