Tuesday Pretrial for Accused Rabbit Abusers

[Guest guest]

For Immediate Release

Contact: Erin Williams, HRS Richmond Communications, (510) 970-7575

www.rabbit.org

 

Tuesday Pretrial for Accused Rabbit Abusers:

Two Men Allegedly Attempted to Explode Family Pet

 

RICHMOND, Calif. (November 15, 2004) – Lucky the rabbit gained national

attention after being taped to explosives and thrown into an East Bay lake.

This Tuesday, the men alleged responsible face a pretrial in Hayward, CA.

This past July, Lucky's previous " owner " Nicholas Sigmon and his friend,

Paul Collins, allegedly decided to kill Lucky with explosives at a public

lake.

 

On the evening of July 13, the two young adults met with a group of their

friends at a pre-arranged location at Lake Don Castro in Castro Valley,

where Sigmon and Collins worked as lifeguards. Sigmon and his friends

allegedly duct-taped Lucky to an M-1000 – equivalent to a quarter stick of

dynamite – lit the fuse, and threw her into the water. The explosives did

not detonate. Lucky swam until, exhausted, she began to go under and they

retrieved her from the lake. According to the police report, while the

rabbit lay immobile and terrified on the dock, Sigmon and the others

discussed a second attempt. They allegedly decided that the used fuse was

now too short to safely relight without risking injury to themselves.

Perhaps most shocking, the young people took her to the lake with the

intent to blow her up and document the atrocity with a video camera.

 

House Rabbit Society (HRS), a national nonprofit headquartered in Richmond,

CA, was alerted to the incident by an online posting containing shocking

photos of Lucky, bedraggled and terrified. HRS notified East Bay Regional

Park District Police, who issued a search warrant for Sigmon's home.

Detectives confiscated Lucky and placed her in HRS’s care. After providing

her with medical and foster care for three weeks, the organization adopted

her to an experienced rabbit guardian on August 14. Lucky now lives

happily with a loving family that includes two other rabbits.

 

Alameda County prosecutors charged Sigmon and Collins with misdemeanor

animal cruelty. Sigmon and Collins' pretrial is scheduled for Tuesday,

Nov.16 at 9:30, at the Hayward Hall of Justice (24405 Amador Street,

Courtroom 501, Hayward). If no plea bargain is reached on Tuesday, a trial

date will be set. They face a maximum sentence of one year in county jail.

 

While Lucky is enjoying her new home, HRS pushes for the maximum sentencing

for the individuals responsible for this horrific act of cruelty. Erin

Williams, Communications Coordinator for the HRS Rabbit Center, states,

" Lucky suffered a terrible act of sadistic cruelty. The police report

indicates Sigmon and his friends decided to explode Lucky days in advance

and boasted about their intentions to co-workers. The use of live

explosives, and the fact that the individuals documented their actions, is

shocking and disturbing. It is imperative that they receive the strictest

possible sentence for this atrocity. These men pose a serious threat to

other animals, and they must be held responsible. "

 

HRS is seeking donations for the care of rabbits like Lucky, as well as

loving homes for other homeless rabbits. For more information about HRS and

local chapters, please visit www.rabbit.org. For updates regarding this

case, please check http://www.luckyrabbit.org

 

# # #

 

House Rabbit Society is an international non-profit organization that

rescues rabbits and educates the public on rabbit care and behavior through

its national network of fosterers and educators, advocacy programs, and its

no-kill rabbit shelter in Richmond, California.

 

 

--

mail2web - Check your email from the web at

http://mail2web.com/ .