Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

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(Apparently to avoid the long arm of the law.)
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In an appeal of a traffic ticket, Lena and Linc Moore were in court in Ridgecrest, Calif., last week. It appears that their chicken was ticketed for Jaywalking and impeding traffic. For crossing the road the chicken was issued a $54 ticket on March 26, after it wandered onto a road in nearby Johannesburg.
~ California state law restricts livestock on highways, but law does not apply to domesticated animals. The Moore's attorney argued that the fowl was a domestic pet and could not be charged as livestock.
~ The Moore's claimed the ticket was a form of harassment. They were the most vocal of several people who complained that local deputies have done little to curb noisy off-road vehicle riders.
~ "For the last two-and-a-half years no one has been able to stop kids from riding their trail bikes in the middle of the road or the neighbors' dogs running loose around the neighborhood," Linc Moore said. "But when our chicken escaped and crossed the road once, it became a huge issue."
~ While the ticket was dismissed, the Moore's were told to make sure their chicken stayed out of the street. "They singled us out because our names' were on their blotters," noted Lena. "But those noisy bikes are still racing in the middle of the street."
~ One thing is certain, although the ticket was over turned, due to the publicity of the case, the Moore's will be watched for a while. They could find themselves facing animal cruelty charges should there be evidence of a fried chicken dinner!
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No.162
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