CALVERTON, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — A Long Island couple is accused of abandoning dozens of domesticated rabbits in a wooded area in Suffolk County.
Kathi Willi, 59, and William Melton, 52, of Woodlot Road, Ridge were arrested and charged Sunday with violations of animal abandonment, a misdemeanor, the Suffolk County SPCA said Tuesday.
According to Roy Gross, Chief of the Suffolk County SPCA, the organization was contacted by a rescue group on July 5 about the abandoned rabbits.
A subsequent investigation led to the arrest of the couple, who were then charged with 30 counts of abandonment of the domestic rabbits in a wooded area in Calverton, Gross said.
Both Willi and Melton are scheduled for arraignment on July 30 in Central Islip.
“We would like to thank the Rabbit Rescue Groups for their intensive search both day and night. Several rabbits were found deceased and the live rabbits are presently being cared for by the rescue groups,” the SPCA said in a statement.
Gross added that “animal cruelty will not be tolerated in Suffolk County.”
Anyone who may witness any incident of animal cruelty or neglect in Suffolk County is urged to contact the Suffolk County SPCA at (631) 382-7722.