Willow the Rabbit
has been returned to her owner after being bunnynapped from the Porter
County Fair.
Meanwhile, the
Porter County Sheriff’s Police is seeking a theft charge against the Portage
woman accused of removing Willow from its cage in the 4H barn, then
characterizing the theft as a rescue on her Twitter account.
According to
police, the incident began sometime between 5:30 and 7 p.m. Friday, when
Willow--a chestnut-colored Netherland Dwarf, 8 months old, “missing most of
the hair on its back,” and identified by an ear tattoo--went missing from
its cage. Willow’s owner, a Porter Township woman, advised police that her
rabbit couldn’t have escaped because the cage door swings inward.
The next morning,
however, at 8:14 a.m., the following was posted on a Twitter account: “I
stole a bunny at the porter county fair. If you would have seen the
microscopic cages, in 100 degree weather, you’d do the same.” On Sunday that
post came to the attention of Willow’s owner, who promptly did a little
surfing and came up with the name of a possible suspect as well as several
photographs of her from different social media accounts.
The name and photos
she then provided to the PCSP and an investigator duly located in-house
records of a 21-year-old Portage woman who “closely matched the description
of the suspect.”
At 4:30 p.m. Sunday
the officer attempted to make contact with the suspect at her home. She
wasn’t there but her mother was, police said, and her mother advised the
officer that her daughter had brought a rabbit home from the Porter County
Fair, claiming “she bought it at the fair after seeing the cramped quarters
that it was contained in.”
She then led the
officer to her daughter’s bedroom, where he found Willow--conclusively
identified by its ear tattoo--in a fish tank with pink woodchip bedding,
police said.
The officer took
custody of Willow and subsequently returned the bunny to its owner.
The PCSP has asked
the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to charge the Portage woman with
misdemeanor theft.