DECEMBER 27, 2022:
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A woman who brought a wild raccoon into a bar earlier this year will spend a year on probation.
On Tuesday (Dec. 20, 2022), Erin Christensen of Maddock, 38, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of providing false information to law enforcement, tampering with evidence and unlawful possession of a live furbearer, reported the Bismarck Tribune.
Northeast District Judge Donovan Foughty gave her a suspended six-month jail sentence and a year on probation. He also ordered her to pay $1,100 in fines and fees.
She faced a maximum sentence of about two years in jail and $7,500 in fines.
According to court documents, Christensen said her family found the raccoon, nicknamed Rocky, on the side of a road and was nursing it back to health when she brought it into the bar on Sept. 6, 2022. A bartender said Rocky didn’t got loose nor did he bite anyone but state health officials still issued a warning about potential rabies exposure.
Authorities arrested Christensen on Sept. 14 after serving several search warrants in and around Maddock to find her and the raccoon. According to court documents, she wouldn’t disclose Rocky’s location.
Keeping a wild raccoon as a pet is illegal under state law — as is keeping a bat or skunk because they are known carriers of rabies, according to North Dakota’s Game and Fish website. Authorities ultimately euthanized the racoon, who tested negative for rabies.
Christensen has said Rocky’s fate has left her family traumatized.
SEPTEMBER 22, 2022:
MADDOCK, N.D. (AP) — A woman who brought a wild raccoon into a North Dakota bar, which prompted state health officials to issue a warning about potential rabies exposure, is facing criminal charges.
Erin Christensen, 38, of Maddock, is charged with misdemeanor counts of providing false information to law enforcement, tampering with physical evidence and unlawful possession of furbearers.
Christensen was arrested last week after authorities found her and the raccoon by serving several search warrants in and around Maddock.
Christensen said her family found the raccoon on the side of a road about three months ago and named it Rocky. She said they were nursing the animal back to health with plans to release it back into the wild.
It’s illegal under North Dakota Board of Animal Health laws to keep a wild raccoon. Authorities euthanized the animal, and it tested negative for rabies.
Christensen took Rocky to Maddock Bar on Sept. 6 during happy hour and showed the raccoon to customers. Bartender Cindy Smith said the animal never bit anyone at the bar.
Nevertheless, North Dakota’s Health and Human Services Department issued a warning asking anyone who may have been bitten or had contact with the raccoon’s saliva to seek medical care.
“It’s unfair and too much was done to detain an innocent raccoon,” Christensen said in a Wednesday statement to the Bismarck Tribune. “They were not worried about the health of us if we had rabies or not. They were worried about finding and killing Rocky and putting me behind bars.”
The charges against Christensen carry a maximum punishment of about two years in jail and $7,500 in fines. Her initial court appearance is set for Monday.
Maddock is town of about 500 people located about 85 miles (137 kilometers) from the Canadian border.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2022:
MADDOCK, N.D. (AP) — A woman walked into a North Dakota bar carrying a raccoon, leading health officials to warn those who had contact with the animal about possible rabies exposure.
Bartender Cindy Smith said she was serving drinks at the Maddock Bar last week when a local resident brought in the animal during happy hour. There were about 10 people in the saloon at the time, she said.
Smith said she immediately asked the woman to leave but instead she took the raccoon around the bar to show another customer. The woman eventually departed with the animal after about five minutes.
“We finally got her out with it, and that’s all that happened,” Smith told The Bismarck Tribune. “It never left her arms one time, and there was absolutely no biting.”
Maddock is town of about 500 people located about 85 miles (137 kilometers) from the Canadian border.
Rabies is a viral infection that affects mammals, including humans. In an alert issued Tuesday (Sept. 13, 2022), North Dakota’s Health and Human Services Department is asking anyone who may have been bitten or had contact with the raccoon’s saliva to seek medical care.
“Because rabies is such a serious disease with a nearly 100% fatality rate, we are making this information available to the public as a precautionary measure,” epidemiologist Amanda Bakken said in a statement.
Six rabid animals have been reported in North Dakota this year, including two bats, two cats, one bovine and one skunk.
Said Smith, “I had no idea what she was thinking.”
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