Woman brings raccoon to North Dakota bar; she’s arrested, he’s put to death

MADDOCK, N.D. — A lady who introduced a raccoon right into a North Dakota bar throughout glad hour faces legal fees, and the animal was killed by state well being authorities.

Erin Christensen, 38, introduced the animal she referred to as Rocky to the Maddock Bar & Membership round 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 6. In accordance with the account that bartender Cindy Smith gave the Bismarck Tribune, there have been about 10 individuals within the bar. Rocky remained in Christensen’s arms in the course of the five-minute go to, she mentioned, and no one was bitten.

Nonetheless, phrase of the go to reached well being officers, and the next week the North Dakota’s Well being and Human Providers Division issued a warning that anybody who had had contact with the raccoon’s saliva ought to search medical care.

They then went searching for Rocky. The grievance towards Christensen alleges she tried to cover the animal.

State wildlife officers ultimately discovered Rocky after serving search warrants in and round Maddock. The raccoon was put to loss of life; a rabies take a look at got here again destructive.

Christensen is charged with misdemeanor counts of offering false info to regulation enforcement, tampering with bodily proof and illegal possession of a furbearer. It’s unlawful in North Dakota to maintain a wild raccoon as a pet.

Christensen informed the Tribune that her household discovered the raccoon on the facet of a street about three months in the past. She mentioned they deliberate to launch him again into the wild when he was robust sufficient.

“An excessive amount of was finished to detain an harmless raccoon,” Christensen mentioned in a Wednesday assertion to the Tribune. “They weren’t anxious in regards to the well being of us, if we had rabies or not. They have been anxious about discovering and killing Rocky and placing me behind bars.”

The costs towards Christensen carry a most punishment of about two years in jail and $7,500 in fines. Her preliminary courtroom look is about for Monday.

Maddock is a city of about 500 individuals, 20 miles west of Devils Lake and 80 miles south of the Canadian border.