Chicken that crossed road let off fine by California court
{{published}}
{{date|May 30, 2005}}

The $54 fine incurred by the owners of a chicken in [[w:Johannesburg, California|Johannesburg, California]], has been thrown out of court.

The owners, Linc and Helena Moore, had been complaining to the local authorities about children riding bicycles in the middle of the road and their neighbours' dogs running around, and assert that as a consequence when their chicken escaped and wandered onto the road "it became a huge issue".  They were fined $54 on March 26, 2005.  

Under the California state code, [[w:livestock|livestock]] is banned from highways, but not [[w:domestication|domestic animals]].  The fine was dismissed when Henry Mosier, the public defence lawyer for the couple, argued that the chicken was not livestock but a domesticated animal. The chicken also has an unalienable right to "get to the other side".

The [[w:Kern County|Kern County]] Sheriff's Department has denied the allegation that the couple were fined because of their complaints, and the couple are seeking legal assistance for filing harassment charges against the department.

== Sources ==
* {{source|
url=http://www.ridgecrestca.com./articles/2005/05/29/news/local/news03.txt|
author=|
title=No jail time for owners of jaywalking chicken|
pub=Ridgecrest Daily Independent|
date=May 29, 2005}}
* {{source|
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk./1/hi/world/americas/4591869.stm|
author=|
title=US chicken ducks jaywalking fine|
pub=BBC News|
date=May 29, 2005}}
* {{source|
url=http://news.findlaw.com./court_tv/s/20050519/19may2005175013.html|
author=Tinuola Awopetu|
title=Owners of jaywalking chicken get ticket|
pub=Court TV|
date=May 19, 2005}}
{{archive}}
[[Category:North America]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:California]]
[[Category:Wackynews]]
The $54 fine incurred by the owners of a chicken in Johannesburg, California, has been thrown out of court.

The owners, Linc and Helena Moore, had been complaining to the local authorities about children riding bicycles in the middle of the road and their neighbours' dogs running around, and assert that as a consequence when their chicken escaped and wandered onto the road "it became a huge issue".  They were fined $54 on March 26, 2005.  

Under the California state code, livestock is banned from highways, but not domestic animals.  The fine was dismissed when Henry Mosier, the public defence lawyer for the couple, argued that the chicken was not livestock but a domesticated animal. The chicken also has an unalienable right to "get to the other side".

The Kern County Sheriff's Department has denied the allegation that the couple were fined because of their complaints, and the couple are seeking legal assistance for filing harassment charges against the department.
North America United States California Wackynews