A Chaminade High School alumni who was arrested for allegedly beating a rabbit to death with a hockey stick and using it as a puck has changed his plea to ‘guilty’ to charges in a Rhode Island court.
Merrick native Nicolas A. Coyle was arrested and charged with a felony of a malicious killing of an animal and a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals after a Nov. 4, 2011 incident at Salve Regina University in Rhode Island. He was arrested on Nov. 16, 2011.
Coyle entered the plea in Rhode Island court under a misdemeanor plea bargain with the state attorney general to avoid a trial for the charge of malicious injury to animals, a felony. He had originally entered a plea of not guilty.
Coyle was sentenced to 2 months of home confinement in Rhode Island and was ordered to wear an ankle monitor according to law enforcement officials. He will also have to put in 100 hours of community service and must also undergo psychological counseling.
The home arrest period also makes him subject to random drug and alcohol testing.
Coyle was on an athletic scholarship to Newport-based Salve Regina University, which has reportedly been revoked.
Following the two months of home confinement, Coyle will be on probation for 9 months. His home arrest period ends on December 8, but he may apply to serve the 9 months in New York. In the meantime, he is barred from leaving the state of Rhode Island.
