Cruelty to animals conviction reinstated

PORTLAND – Maine’s highest court Tuesday reinstated a Manchester man’s conviction for animal cruelty in the shooting of a neighbor’s two pet rabbits three years ago.

A trial judge had found that Joshua Black shot and killed the rabbits, Maggie and Scooter, who were found missing from neighbor Wendy Johnson’s pens behind her home on Dec. 9, 1997.

Black appealed to Superior Court, which set aside the conviction on grounds of insufficient evidence.

After an appeal by the state, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled unanimously that the evidence was sufficient and that the conviction would stand.

Black, 22, faces a 30-day jail sentence, with all but three days suspended, along with a year’s probation and a psychological evaluation. He also must pay Johnson $344 in restitution and is barred from owning or using firearms for a year