Felony rap for killing of Melvin the Bunny

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - A man accused of killing his pet rabbit Melvin by putting it in a plastic bag and trying to break its neck has been charged with felony animal cruelty.
Austin Newport, of Lawrence, is the first person in Douglas County prosecuted under a new Kansas law that elevated animal cruelty from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Police said Newport claimed he killed Melvin the bunny July 27 because he couldn't care for it any more and planned to eat it. His former roommate, Jamie Nixon, who reported the incident to police, said she doesn't believe Newport's explanation.

(Photo: Digger, Pet of the Week, September 2002)