Cottontail found guilty of trespass

Peter Rabbit (aka Naughty Bunny) was convicted on charges of trespass in Fairy Tale Court with Judge Toni Coleman presiding. However, Rabbit was found not guilty on the more serious charge of theft of vegetables. He was sentenced to 25 hours of community service.

Toni Coleman, fourth grade teacher at Sisters Elementary School explained the proceedings for The Nugget.

"This was an exercise in critical and creative thinking and analytical reading. These are high-achieving kids, and this was a special enrichment activity for them, and so we took a familiar story and looked at it in a whole new way."

The trial was conducted on Tuesday, June 12, in the spirit of a courtroom drama. There was a narration by "court reporters" that explained to the class and visitors the procedures. Ms. Minor was the lead prosecuting attorney and Ms. Lukens was the lead attorney for the defense.

The opening statements were predictable to anyone who is familiar with the story, and there was no petition for a change of venue, as the attorney for the defense felt that the case would not be prejudiced by the rumors and publicity the event had garnered.

The trial proceeded with the usual fencing between the prosecution and defense, with objections lodged and frequently sustained. A surprise witness was Miss Mouse, who admitted to being in the McGregor garden during the day in question and occasionally helping herself to the garden's vegetables.

When asked by the prosecution if Miss Mouse had seen the defendant in the garden during the day in question, she said, "Ummmm... yes." This testimony was likely the hinge on which the jury swung to convict Peter Rabbit of trespass.

It is unknown at this time if any future charges will be filed against Miss Mouse for trespass or theft of vegetables in light of her confession under oath. It is possible that her testimony that was used to convict Peter Rabbit could have been the result of a plea bargain.

Coleman explained how the trial provided students the opportunity to examine a story and look for clues and motivations and find the story that was there but was not in print.

"And of course it gave us an opportunity to look at the judicial system and see a little of how it functions," said Coleman.

The closing arguments were delivered, and the class became the jury, deliberating on the the fate of Peter Rabbit. Fairy Tale Court only requires a majority to determine guilt or innocence, although the real-life criteria of reasonable doubt was placed before the jury.

When the verdict was delivered, it was a narrow majority who convicted Rabbit of trespass, yet the innocence of the defendant on the charges of theft of vegetables was nearly unanimous.