Death of bunny results in animal cruelty charges in Ogden

OGDEN, Utah — The Weber County Attorney’s Office filed formal charges Tuesday against an Ogden man accused of throwing his ex-girlfriend’s baby bunny against a dresser during an argument. 

Ogden bunny thrown, killed during argument

Tra Hoopes, 28, was booked into the Weber County Jail after the altercation on July 2. In a probable cause statement, police said Hoopes got into an argument with his ex, with whom he still lives. The ex-girlfriend told police Hoopes followed her into her bedroom, where she picked up the bunny, which required bottle-feeding. Then, she told police he prevented her from leaving the room, despite her telling him multiple times to let her leave to check on her children and feed the bunny. 

“Tra eventually grabbed the very small, 3 week old bunny, with his hand and threw it to a dresser as he turned around,” police said in the probable cause statement. “This act killed the bunny. The victim stated she had never seen something be thrown so hard or so fast.” 

Ogden police said the woman told them she believed Hoopes threw the bunny to scare or intimidate her. She also accused him of throwing items in the past for the same reason.

Hoopes denied preventing the woman from leaving the bedroom or touching the bunny at any point. 

Prosecutors charged Hoopes with three counts of commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child, because the woman’s three children were home at the time. He also faces charges of unlawful detention and aggravated cruelty to an animal. 

Read more: 

• House passes bill making animal cruelty a federal felony
• Animal advocates want tougher penalties for abusers

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