September 06, 2017 - 6:49 AM
BISMARCK, N.D. - Bismarck police are looking to the city attorney's office for guidance after officers responded to a report of sheep being slaughtered in an apartment complex parking area.
Authorities said a couple new to the country was performing a religious ceremony with the sheep on Friday, when the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha was being celebrated.
No arrests were made, and the couple will not face criminal charges, as no specific city ordinance or health code appeared to have been violated, Assistant City Attorney Jason Hammes told The Bismarck Tribune .
"I didn't see anything on this that jumped out as over-the-top disorderly," he said.
However, livestock aren't allowed to be kept in city limits, and police want to know how to handle such situations in the future.
"We want to be respectful of people's religious beliefs, but we also want to consider the environment that this is in," Lt. Steven Scheuer said.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com
News from © The Associated Press, 2017