Bringing Raccoon Into Bar Costs Woman, Big-Time

Bringing a wild raccoon into a bar will cost one North Dakota woman, quite literally. Erin Christensen, 38, pleaded guilty last week to charges of false information to law enforcement, evidence tampering, and unlawful possession of a furbearer, all misdemeanors. She was sentenced to a suspended six-month jail term and a year of probation and must pay $1,100 in fines and fees. The plea came in connection with a September incident in which she brought the animal into the Maddock Bar in a town of the same name. She said she had found the raccoon on the roadside and was caring for it until it was healthy enough to return to the wild.

A bartender confirmed the animal wasn't loose in the bar, with Christensen maintaining she held it the whole time. But North Dakota's Health and Human Services Department put out a rabies warning as a result and per court documents, Christensen "while being questioned by law enforcement did not disclose the location of a non-domesticated raccoon" and "did conceal from law enforcement a non-domesticated raccoon." The Bismarck Tribune reports it's illegal to keep a wild raccoon in the state. Christensen was arrested Sept. 14, and officials took possession of the animal and euthanized it. It tested negative for rabies. The AP notes the state also prohibits residents from keeping bats or skunks, also due to the rabies risk. (More weird crimes stories.)