Rabbit care costs Hillsboro thousands

HILLSBORO, Ore. - Rabbits confiscated in one of Hillsboro's strangest animal cruelty cases ever are costing a fortune to keep.

Miriam Sakewitz is accused of hoarding hundreds of rabbits in Washington County and then stealing more than a hundred back after the Humane Society confiscated them.

Officials said Monday it is costing about $2 a day per rabbit to house and care for them. Multiply that by 200 rabbits and you get $400 a day. The city of Hillsboro has had them for 119 days, putting the grand total around $47,000 so far.

Police said they are frustrated with the case because the money is coming out of their general fund. They tried to hold an adoption fair but were blocked after Sakewitz's attorneys argued in court papers that state law prevents the city from doing anything but holding the rabbits until Sakewitz is convicted of a crime.

By the time she goes to trial, which could be next month, the cost to care for the rabbits could easily be in the six-figure range.

"We're stuck in a place where we have to do things right," said Hillsboro police Lt. Michael Rouches. "We cannot just turn our backs. Some people may say 'Just let the rabbits go.' They're evidence in a crime and they must be treated humanely."

Sakewitz, who appeared in court Monday, had no comment on the case.

During her first run-in with authorities last fall, they accused her of having nearly 300 rabbits in her home - with nearly 100 dead. Then last month, police accused her of breaking into a Hillsboro warehouse and stealing 130 back.