By Josh Jarman
The Columbus Dispatch
COLUMBUS, Ohio — You can love your pet, just don’t love your pet.
That’s the message of a new House bill introduced yesterday that would make bestiality, or sexual relations with animals, a felony offense in the state. The bill was prompted by the arrest of a Shelby man earlier this month after authorities said he adopted a dog from the Richland County Animal Shelter so he could have sex with it.
Peter Bower, 31, pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. He has a pre-trial hearing set for July 15 in Shelby Municipal Court and is facing a maximum of nine months in jail and $1,750 in fines if convicted.
Richland County Dog Warden Dave Jordan said Bower’s case is the first instance of bestiality he’s dealt with, and he was shocked to discover that the state has no laws on the books specifically addressing sexual conduct with animals. He said 30 states in America have such laws.
He received an anonymous email tip shortly after Bower adopted a Shepherd-mix from the shelter, with links that led to bestiality websites containing photos showing Bower having sex with animals, Jordan said. That led to a search warrant of Bower’s apartment, where more evidence was uncovered.
Jordan said the websites he visited during his investigation revealed an online community of people who used the Internet to connect with others and share their stories of “romance” with their companion animals.
“It’s just a very dark world they live in,” Jordan said. “I hope this law sparks the remaining states to adopt something similar.”
He said everything needed to convict Bower was included in online postings.
The bill would make having sex with animals, helping others to do so or knowingly permitting such behavior a fifth-degree felony, punishable by up to 12 months in prison and a $2,500 fine, said one of its sponsors, Rep. Jay Goyal, D-Mansfield.
“Like many of my fellow Ohioans, I was appalled that such an act is currently legal in our state,” Goyal said in a news release. “This is something I find repulsive and has the potential to be seriously damaging to animals that are violated.”
Rep. Jeff McClain, R-Marion, co-sponsored the legislation, which contains provisions to allow a judge to send someone convicted of the crime into counseling and prohibit them from owning pets again.
The bill should be taken up by the House after members return from summer recess, the lawmakers said.
Copyright 2011 The Columbus Dispatch
All Rights Reserved