28-1009 Abandonment; cruel neglect; harassment of a police animal; penalty. - Nebraska Statutes

28-1009. Abandonment; cruel neglect; harassment of a police animal; penalty.(1) A person who intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly abandons or cruelly neglects an animal is guilty of a Class I misdemeanor unless the abandonment or cruel neglect results in serious injury or illness or death of the animal, in which case it is a Class IV felony.(2)(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b) of this subsection, a person who cruelly mistreats an animal is guilty of a Class I misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class IV felony for any subsequent offense.(b) A person who cruelly mistreats an animal is guilty of a Class IV felony if such cruel mistreatment involves the knowing and intentional torture, repeated beating, or mutilation of the animal.(3) A person commits harassment of a police animal if he or she knowingly and intentionally teases or harasses a police animal in order to distract, agitate, or harm the police animal for the purpose of preventing such animal from performing its legitimate official duties. Harassment of a police animal is a Class IV misdemeanor unless the harassment is the proximate cause of the death of the police animal, in which case it is a Class IV felony. SourceLaws 1990, LB 50, § 2; Laws 1995, LB 283, § 3; Laws 2002, LB 82, § 6; Laws 2003, LB 273, § 5; Laws 2007, LB227, § 2.