Monday’s animal assault complaint in Shelton had police officers thumbing through Connecticut law books.
The report of an alleged sexual assault on a horse was the city’s first bestiality case, according to Lt. Robert Kozlowsky.
“The obvious charge was animal cruelty,” Kozlowsky said Wednesday. “But the officers there had to do a little research on it. We don’t usually deal with sexual assault when it deals with animals.”
Meanwhile,the president of an international animal cruelty group argued that the law should be changed to enable police to bring rape charges in cases like this.
In Connecticut, there is no bestiality law, Lt. Kozlowsky said. So crimes in that category fall under one charge: fourth-degree sexual assault.
Police charged Partridge Lane resident Marian Wegiel with fourth-degree sexual assault, cruelty to animals, third-degree criminal trespass and breach of peace.
Wegiel is accused of sexually assaulting his neighbor’s horse, Indiana.
The horse’s owner, Joan Flannery, said her daughter witnessed Wegiel pumping his arm into the horse’s back side Monday evening.
When police arrived at the home, Wegiel was still in the horse’s corral.
Wegiel told police he was trying to comfort the horse, which was scared by a loud noise.
Calls and a visit to Wegiel’s home went unanswered Wednesday.
Some animal rights advocates say that fourth-degree sexual assault doesn’t go far enough. The charge is a misdemeanor that could mean up to a year in prison and a fine if convicted.
“It should be considered rape,” said Priscilla Feral, the president of Friends of Animals, an international animal advocacy group that has its headquarters in Darien.
“If you invade the private regions of an animal, that should be considered rape,” Feral said. “I think [the fourth degree sexual assault charge] expresses some kind of prejudice.”
How Often Does It Happen?
There aren’t definitive statistics on how often animals are sexually abused. The State Department of Agriculture doesn’t keep track of cases unless local police departments seek out their help.
That wasn’t the case with the horse complaint in Shelton.
Alicia Wright, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Humane Society, said that anecdotally, the groups sees more cases of traditional abuse against animals.
“Bestiality is something that’s out there,” Wright said. “It seems that the other forms of abuse and neglect — the straight out beating or refusal to feed an animal — tend to be more common.”
Feral said sexual assault on animals is more common than people might think. She estimated hearing about dozens of cases a year across the country.
“All of these things appear to be freak incidents,” Feral said. “The problem is, after enough years working in this field, you hear about them over and over and over again.”
Reaction
The arrest made national news Tuesday.
Flannery, who owns the horse, said Tuesday she is disgusted and disturbed by the incident.
Several neighbors were unable to be reached for comment Wednesday.
One, Nancy Steiner, said she was shocked by the arrest, but in’t concerned about her well-being.
“I’d be in shock no matter where it was,” Steiner said. “But I don’t personally feel any threat from this person. I have more concern about the deer eating my shrubs.”
Feral, from Friends of Animals, said she would caution neighbors to be more concerned. She said sexual acts on animals aren’t always about a sexual desire, but rather about power.
Feral likened animal abuse to a gateway drug — saying it’s the first step on a ladder to other types of abuse.
“Be scared,” Feral said. “Be scared of a person who does that. Don’t wait until some little boy or some little girl falls into his clutches until you decide it’s a problem. Somebody who rapes a horse, or a cat or dog, ought to worry you plenty.”
