When Kristen Gilmore moved out of her city residence, she left behind a caged rabbit, without food, exposed to the elements and living in its own excrement, police allege.

  (Photo courtesy of the Portsmouth Police Department)  Gilmore, 37, now of 116R Lafayette Road, North Hampton, is charged with a class A misdemeanor count of animal cruelty as a result, said Police Lt. Dante Puopolo.

According to police, an anonymous caller reported on Nov. 7 that the rabbit appeared to be abandoned and neglected “for quite a while.” Based on that complaint, Animal Control Officer Patricia Tate was dispatched to a Marjorie Drive residence, where she found “a large angora rabbit” in a hutch without food and two inches of fecal matter on the bottom of the cage, said the police spokesman.

The rabbit was removed and transported to the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals where “abuse and neglect” was confirmed, said Puopolo. As a result of that determination, a warrant was issued for Gilmore’s address and she was arrested after turning herself into police.

Following her arrest, Gilmore was released on $1,500 personal recognizance bail and scheduled for a Dec. 15 Portsmouth District Court arraignment

Update 12/11/08:  When the city’s animal control officer seized an abandoned rabbit last month, the angora bunny was in “squalid conditions, without any food” and its leg fur was matted to its body, rendering it immobile, according to court records.

Following an investigation, the rabbit’s owner, Kristen Gilmore, 37, now of 116R Lafayette Road, North Hampton, was charged with two counts of class A misdemeanor animal cruelty. She is scheduled to be arraigned in Portsmouth District Court, where an affidavit by Officer James Noury reveals new details about the case.

According to Noury’s report, a resident of Marjorie Drive called police on Nov. 6 to report Gilmore had moved from a residence on that street and left the rabbit in a backyard cage. The same day, Animal Control Officer Patricia Tate went to the residence and found the rabbit with its fur “extensively matted,” without food and caged in a collection of its own excrement, according to the police report.

Seven days later, Gilmore told the animal control officer that the rabbit was hers, referred to it as stolen and said she wanted it back, police allege. A subsequent veterinary evaluation concluded with a diagnosis that the pet was “emaciated,” and neglected “to the point of abuse,” according to the officer’s report.

Police allege Gilmore was asked to meet with an officer to give a statement but declined to go to the police station to do so. She was arrested Nov. 24 and released on $1,500 personal recognizance bail.

Update 10/23/09:  The former city woman charged with two counts of animal cruelty for allegedly moving out of her Marjorie Drive apartment and leaving her caged rabbit exposed to the elements without food struck a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Gilmore pleaded guilty to reduced charges in Portsmouth District Court and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine with half suspended, pay $140 in restitution and relinquish ownership of the rabbit to the NHSPCA.

The agreement also included a stipulation that Gilmore remain on good behavior for one year and have no ownership of pets, other than a cat and a dog she currently has, for one year.

Gilmore entered the guilty plea to a violation-level count of animal cruelty and the negotiated plea resulted in a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge being placed on file for a year pending several conditions.

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