A 25-year-old North Hollywood man has been charged with felony animal cruelty and other offenses for allegedly killing his girlfriend’s pet rabbit during a violent outburst, prosecutors announced Monday.
Nikolas Hart, 25, pleaded not guilty to one felony count of animal cruelty and several misdemeanor charges, including injury to a cohabitant, attempting to dissuade a witness and violating a court order, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Hart’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 16. Bail was set at $150,000, and a judge issued a protective order barring him from owning or possessing animals.
Prosecutors allege that about 9 p.m. Feb. 11, Hart stomped on his girlfriend’s two-month-old rabbit, Momo, then placed the animal in a trash bag and threw it from a second-story apartment. The rabbit died from blunt force injuries, prosecutors said.
“This defendant is accused of assaulting his girlfriend on prior occasions, then later killing a defenseless animal in a violent outburst,” L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “That kind of criminal behavior will land you in prison. We will prove these charges in court and seek the full punishment under the law.”
If convicted as charged, Hart faces up to eight years in state prison, prosecutors said.
The case is being prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Office and remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.