Beloit police captured a wanted suspect on the loose in the streets of the Merrill neighborhood Monday afternoon.
Sergeant Ryan Flanagan said members of their patrol division and animal control team took a chicken into custody after it was seen crossing the 1300 block of Copeland Avenue.
“Our detectives are currently in interviews trying to find out if the chicken crossed the road just to get to the other side or if there were other reasons for it,” Flanagan said. “They’re also trying to find out if it came first or the egg. So hopefully we’ll have answers on both of those by the end of the day today.”
In all seriousness, Flanagan said it was an animal safety issue, and the chicken had been roaming in the area around Merrill Elementary School.
Neighbors had reported the stray hen in the area for the last week or so. One homeowner said on Facebook she had seen the bird sleeping on her property so her family would leave food for it.
Flanagan said the chicken attempted to elude officers, so they called in a member of their violent crimes unit to help capture her. Detective Eric Schoonover owns chickens on his property, so he lent them his expertise to corral the hen without any foul play.
Beloit city ordinance does allow residents to keep up to four female chickens in the city, but they must be kept in a coop or a chicken run in rear yard areas.
The Beloit Police Department is looking to find the owner of the hen to reunite her with her family. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Beloit police.
