The Rhode Island Society for the Prevention and Cruelty to Animals said the alleged abuse happened on Nov. 4. The rabbit was a wild cottontail that would wander around Middleton Avenue.
An investigator found the dead animal wrapped in a garbage bag and placed in a barrel with other trash.
The Providence Journal reports that former Salve Regina University student Nicholas Coyle reached a plea agreement with prosecutors that spared him jail time. The sentence was imposed Tuesday by a Superior Court magistrate judge in Newport.
 |
| Nicholas Coyle, in court. Remember, Jeffrey Dahmer started out by torturing defenseless animals. |
Coyle must also undergo psychological counseling.
The 20-year-old from Merrick, N.Y., could have faced up to two years in prison if convicted on the original felony charge of malicious injury to an animal. He had pleaded not guilty.
The charge was downgraded to animal cruelty, a misdemeanor.
WPRO-AM reports that Coyle also must perform 100 hours of community service.
(cumberlink.com - Oct 9, 2012)
