Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Local Darwin Award
Friend of mine at work brought the newspaper to me with this story on the front page of the local section. And yes, my co-workers have heard rumors about me and sheep.
King County sheriff's detectives are investigating the owners of an Enumclaw-area farm after a Seattle man died from injuries sustained while having sex with a horse boarded on the property.
Investigators first learned of the farm after the man died at Enumclaw Community Hospital July 2. The county Medical Examiner's Office ruled that the death was accidental and the result of having sex with a horse.
A surveillance camera picked up the license plate of the car that dropped the man off at the hospital, which led detectives to the farm and other people involved, said sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart.
Deputies don't believe a crime occurred because bestiality is not illegal in Washington state and the horse was uninjured, said Urquhart.
But because investigators found chickens, goats and sheep on the property, they are looking into whether animal cruelty — which is a crime — was committed by having sex with these smaller, weaker animals, he said.
The farm was talked about in Internet chat rooms as a destination for people looking to have sex with livestock, he said.
"A significant number of people, we believe, have likely visited this farm," said Urquhart.
The Humane Society of the United States intends to use the case during the next state legislative session as an example of why sex with animals should be outlawed in Washington, said Bob Reder, a Humane Society regional director in Seattle.
"This and a few other cases that we have will allow us a platform to talk about sex abuse of animals," Reder said.
Thirty-three states ban sex with animals, he said.
Susan Michaels, co-founder of local animal-rights organization Pasado's Safe Haven, said she has been fighting to have bestiality made illegal. "It's animal cruelty behind closed doors," Michaels said.
I sent a copy of the clip and a link to the newspaper's website to Darwin Awards. Guess you could say he really was nagged to death. The following are the states which embrace all animal lovers, regardless of what kind of love that is:
Alaska
Arizona
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Hawaii
Kentucky
Louisiana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
Ohio
South Dakota
Texas
Vermont
Washington
West Virginia
Wyoming
And though technically illegal, it's just a wee misdemeanor in these states:
California
Minnesota
New York
Utah
I must point out that in Virginia it is ILLEGAL (and a felony), but in such states as Hawaii and Washington it's legal - and California littering is considered a worse crime. We made fun of West Virginia, obviously with good reason as it's legal there too. People in Washington make fun of Montana and their sheep thing. Let's check Montana:
Montana (Mont. Code. Ann., @45-5-505 (1994) 10 year sentence and/or $50,000 fine)
Of course maybe the severity is only for sleeping with someone else's sheep. :)
King County sheriff's detectives are investigating the owners of an Enumclaw-area farm after a Seattle man died from injuries sustained while having sex with a horse boarded on the property.
Investigators first learned of the farm after the man died at Enumclaw Community Hospital July 2. The county Medical Examiner's Office ruled that the death was accidental and the result of having sex with a horse.
A surveillance camera picked up the license plate of the car that dropped the man off at the hospital, which led detectives to the farm and other people involved, said sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart.
Deputies don't believe a crime occurred because bestiality is not illegal in Washington state and the horse was uninjured, said Urquhart.
But because investigators found chickens, goats and sheep on the property, they are looking into whether animal cruelty — which is a crime — was committed by having sex with these smaller, weaker animals, he said.
The farm was talked about in Internet chat rooms as a destination for people looking to have sex with livestock, he said.
"A significant number of people, we believe, have likely visited this farm," said Urquhart.
The Humane Society of the United States intends to use the case during the next state legislative session as an example of why sex with animals should be outlawed in Washington, said Bob Reder, a Humane Society regional director in Seattle.
"This and a few other cases that we have will allow us a platform to talk about sex abuse of animals," Reder said.
Thirty-three states ban sex with animals, he said.
Susan Michaels, co-founder of local animal-rights organization Pasado's Safe Haven, said she has been fighting to have bestiality made illegal. "It's animal cruelty behind closed doors," Michaels said.
I sent a copy of the clip and a link to the newspaper's website to Darwin Awards. Guess you could say he really was nagged to death. The following are the states which embrace all animal lovers, regardless of what kind of love that is:
Alaska
Arizona
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Hawaii
Kentucky
Louisiana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
Ohio
South Dakota
Texas
Vermont
Washington
West Virginia
Wyoming
And though technically illegal, it's just a wee misdemeanor in these states:
California
Minnesota
New York
Utah
I must point out that in Virginia it is ILLEGAL (and a felony), but in such states as Hawaii and Washington it's legal - and California littering is considered a worse crime. We made fun of West Virginia, obviously with good reason as it's legal there too. People in Washington make fun of Montana and their sheep thing. Let's check Montana:
Montana (Mont. Code. Ann., @45-5-505 (1994) 10 year sentence and/or $50,000 fine)
Of course maybe the severity is only for sleeping with someone else's sheep. :)
