Easter Bunny loses head to mugger

By BILL VARIAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 14, 2000

CRYSTAL RIVER -- An 18-year-old homeless man is accused of mugging the Easter Bunny at Crystal River Mall this week and making off with its head.

Crystal River police say Marshall Cadorette attacked Earlene Zachariasen on a dare. Zachariasen was wearing the bunny outfit and walking out of a mall dressing room Tuesday to meet with children when Cadorette attacked her, snatching the big bunny head.

"Luckily no kids saw the Easter Bunny getting its head torn off," said Crystal River Patrolman Chris Anderson. "But he scared the living daylights out of this poor lady who was dressed in the bunny costume."

Police caught Cadorette when he returned to the mall the next day. Mall security recognized him. Police said Cadorette had ditched the rabbit head at a friend's apartment. The head was recovered by police.

Cadorette likely will spend Easter in jail. He is charged with strong armed robbery and is being held at the Citrus County Detention Facility without bail.

Cadorette also is charged with dealing in stolen property for taking a pickup truck from the mall's parking lot. Police said Cadorette knew the truck was stolen when he used a key to drive it away. Cadorette also gave away several items he found inside the truck, police said. Those items were later pawned. Later, Cadorette returned the vehicle to the mall, police said.

Anderson said the truck had been reported stolen, likely by someone else, in South Carolina, and had been abandoned at the mall. Crystal River police had been investigating the stolen truck. Mall security officers said they saw Cadorette get in and out of the vehicle.

Cadorette told police he got the truck's key from a friend, whose last name he said he couldn't remember, according to the arrest report.

"He stole a stolen car," Anderson said.

Cadorette was with several other people when he approached the Easter Bunny, according to his arrest report. He told police that he stole the head after one of the other men bet him $10 that he wouldn't do it.

"He decided to take the bet," Anderson said.

The patrolman said Cadorette and a roommate had been living in an apartment in Citrus County but were recently evicted. They had been living out of another pickup, Anderson said.

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