ARVADA — A jury has found the owner of the Six Bells Farm rabbit-breeding operation guilty of 35 counts of animal cruelty.
Debe Bell, 59, was cited after Jefferson County investigators following up on a Crime Stoppers tip found “deplorable conditions” at the Arvada farm.
“The cages housing the rabbits were urine-soaked, caked in feces, and had little or no food,” the district attorney said in a news release. “With few exceptions, they had no water. The animals were dehydrated. Many were severely matted, some with urine and feces matted and caked into their fur.”
Nearly 200 rabbits were seized from her property at 12820 W. 75th Ave. on July 21, and Bell was charged with 55 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.
Bell had raised and bred rabbits since 1982. She had previously been licensed as a small-animal breeder, but at the time the rabbits were removed from her property, she was not licensed.
The jury rendered its verdict Friday, and sentencing has been scheduled for March 20.
Each misdemeanor count carries a potential sentence of up to 18 months in jail, the district attorney’s office said. Kieran Nicholson, The Denver Post
