Miriam Sakewitz, Oregon "Bunny Lady," Arrested Again

PORTLAND, Ore. — Washington County's "Bunny Lady" is back in the hutch after violating a court order banning her from owning animals for five years. Miriam Sakewitz, 47, was arrested Tuesday at a hotel in the Portland suburb of Tigard after an employee reported finding rabbits hopping around in her room.

Problems for Sakewitz started in October 2006 when police in Hillsboro, about 15 miles west of Portland, found and confiscated nearly 250 rabbits in her home, including about 100 dead ones in freezers and refrigerators.

Police said she broke into the facility where the survivors were being cared for in January 2007 and stole most of them back. Authorities found her a few days later in Chehalis, Wash., with eight live rabbits and two dead ones in her car. Another 130 rabbits were recovered at a nearby horse farm.

Sakewitz was sentenced in April 2007 to five years probation and was banned from owning or controlling animals. She also was told not to go within 100 yards of a rabbit.

That summer, Sakewitz was ordered to spend three days in jail for violating her probation by keeping a rabbit in her house. County probation officer Susan Ranger also said Sakewitz had canceled counseling sessions and refused to open the door for unannounced visits. Ranger said she found no rabbits when she finally got inside but did find a half-empty 10-pound bag of carrots.

Since then, Sakewitz has remained "pretty quiet" _ until this week, said Washington County probation officer Bob Severe. "We hadn't heard much further from her," he said, adding she was thought to be living in Clackamas County.

On Tuesday, Washington County animal control officers removed eight adult rabbits, five young ones and a dead one from Sakewitz's hotel room, Tigard police spokesman Jim Wolf said.

Sakewitz was in custody Wednesday, and Wolf said he did not know if she had an attorney. She was to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon on animal neglect charges.

Comments

[Donkeykickies]

I just met this woman and interviewed her in jail. Now she is the one being mistreated. This is not the way to handle things. I now believe that she is not well and this legal situation is making her condition WORSE. She needs treatment, not jail time. Washington County is very, very wrong and sick to "horde" American citizens with mental illnesses such as this, along with drug addictions so that it may make money and masquerade around like a mighty deliverer of "justice". In my opinion, this circus court and the political puppets who run it also have an illness. We need to effect some serious change in humanitarian treatment of so-called criminals for the sake of human progress. Seriously.

[JackNasty]

Whew, what a relief.I misread the headline and thought Lady Bunny had been arrested again.

http://www.ladybunny.net/

[SteveDenver]

I can understand some "cat lady" gathering strays, but 20-dozen bunnies?

[theboardedwindow]

how strange... yuck.... **shivers**

well, obviously.. somebody needs a little psychiatric intervention here... this is quite obviously a chronic mental illness. some kind of strange hoarding / obsessive compulsive behavior. this lady is seriously very ill, and needs intensive treatment, or... needs to be outright institutionalized. i would opt for the later.

[AntiRethuglican]

What a hare raising experience!

[theboardedwindow]

lol...

[sb250guy]

This is one of those things that someone actually has to do. No one could think this up, not even Stephen King.

Having a whole lot of rabbits is weird, but I can shrug it off. What's the deal with keeping all of the dead and frozen ones though?

[JM817]

Is anybody thinking of protecting this lady? I agree that animals should not be endangered because of her, but, truly, it sounds as if this is a woman who needs help, and most certainly jail is not help.

[jaundicedview]

The GOP says we have the best health care system the world has ever known, so there should be no problem getting her help.

[alaskan]

I agree. She needs mental health care, not jail.

This is just one more reason America's health care system needs a major overhaul ---- how many crimes would be prevented if everyone had access to mental health care? Probably millions.

[GigsLaroo]

A good site with some of the latest information on this problem:

http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding/index.html

[700rpm]

Oregon's current slogan: "Things Look Different Here."

Ain't it de troof!

[FilthyMartini]

um..... has anyone noticed she looks a little like a bunny???? Now that's wierd.....

[PSM42]

She's ... not bad. She just photographs that way. - Who Framed Roger Rabbit - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0ATdc7cFk4

[rachelwebster]

i guess this woman is pretty sick, and its not supposed to be amusing, but it makes me laugh...can't help it

[taddles]

Uh, time to commit this one.

[gaja]

I wonder why hoarding is becoming such a prevalent mental illness these days? I keep hearing about more cases involving everything from cats, dogs, random junk, and even food... One woman started storing rotting food in refrigerators, freezers, multiple houses and storage spaces until she had no space left and started leaving groceries in her SUV - where it all began rotting... She had young children and a husband who had to pick through rotting food to find fresh food and endure a plague of bugs living in their large house... It was unbelievable. It seems to be triggered by some kind of trauma. This is the first time I've heard of a bunny hoarder... But I really hope she gets serious treatment soon.

[in4success]

the "bush" effect

[ChiGuy]

I think in this day and age of instant information, coupled with a relaxed willingness to expose our flaws brought on by baby-boomers, we just hear about it more than before.

I remember a few odd sorts growing up.

[ChiGuy]

Her obsession with rabbits appear to indicate that something traumatic happened to her in younger days.
I can't speculate as to what that might have been, but it's clear that she has an abnormal fixation. These kinds of things don't just pop up out of nowhere.

[in4success]

yeah -- but instead of ordering therapy they give her a criminal record. she broke her probation so some heartless, angry republican judge will probably send her to prison for the next five years.

oh america!

[sonoffestus]

The Wabbit lady is Wacky!

[SteveDenver]

Weally weally weird.