A man accused of running over four ducklings with a Hummer in a McDonald's parking lot in Ann Arbor on Monday night was charged today with a felony.

Dillon Robert Pearce, 19, of Ann Arbor was arraigned this afternoon at the Washtenaw County Jail on a charge of killing an animal.

Dillon Robert Pearce

Ann Arbor police said Pearce deliberately ran over the ducklings in the parking lot of the McDonald's at 2675 Plymouth Road, where he initially stopped to pick up food at 6:15 p.m. Monday.

Police said Pearce stopped at the drive-thru, when one of his friends got out and attempted to pick up a duckling. A duck and at least 8 ducklings had been walking in the lot, police said. Employees at McDonald's yelled at the man to stop, police said.

The man got back into the Hummer, which left the parking lot, pulling into an adjacent lot for about 15 minutes while the men ate their food, police said. Witnesses told police that the Hummer then returned to the lot and ran over four of the ducklings, police said. Police said Pearce drove away without stopping. Officers arrested Pearce at a nearby gas station after interviewing him and the two other men in the Hummer.

At his arraignment this afternoon, Pearce told Magistrate Thomas Truesdell that he planned to hire a private attorney. Truesdell set bond at $5,000 with the right to post 10 percent.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 4. If convicted of the felony charge, Pearce faces up to four years in prison.

Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for Ann Arbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.