Girl, nine, handcuffed for stealing bunny

A nine-year-old girl was arrested and handcuffed after being accused of stealing a rabbit and $10 (€8.30) from a neighbour’s home in Florida.

A sheriff’s deputy found the black-and-white rabbit, named Oreo, hopping around in the girl’s living room in New Port Richey, according to the arrest report.

The girl was read her rights and taken away in the back of a patrol car.

She began to cry during questioning and admitted taking the rabbit belonging to another child, but denied taking two $5 (€4.10) bills.

Sheriff’s spokesman Kevin Doll defended the arrest, and said if the victim of a crime wants an arrest, deputies were required to act if there was enough evidence.

The girl was released to her mother from a juvenile assessment centre about an hour after her arrest, which she said was scary.

She said she also didn’t like the deputy. “He put one handcuff on me really tight,” she said. In the patrol car, “he just stared at me in the mirror”.