Men reach deal in bestiality case

1-8-2010 Tennessee:

Two men accused of having sex with a horse at a Maury County farm were sentenced to probation after reaching plea agreements with the state.

James Michael Tait, 58, pleaded no contest Monday to five counts of criminal offenses against animals and was given 10 years probation. Kenny E. Thomason, 44, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of criminal offenses against animals and was given two years of probation.

Detective Terry Chandler, who investigated the case, said the plea agreement helped to avoid a trial that would have likely drawn a media circus, given the bizarre nature of the accusations.

“I feel like justice has come out with this,” he said. “If there had been a trial, who knows what would have happened.”

Chandler said the state does not require the men be entered into the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry, which is a database of sex offenders made available to the public and published on the Internet. Chandler, along with District Attorney General Mike Bottoms, said they would like lawmakers to consider adding people who commit bestiality to the sex-offender list.

Thomason was fined $500 and will be responsible for paying the veterinarian bill for the horses.

Efforts to reach Tait and Thomason were unsuccessful Wednesday. Attorney John Colley, who represented Thomason, declined comment. Tait’s lawyer could not be reached Wednesday.

Tait and Thomason were accused of having sex with horses and dogs over a span of several months on a farm on Double Branch Road. Christy Morris, 35, of Pulaski was also charged with allegedly engaging in sex acts with animals and is awaiting trial.

Bottoms, who prosecuted the case, said a recently passed law was instrumental in bringing the men to justice.

“Otherwise, we might not have been able to do anything,” he said.

The law, which was passed in 2007, made it a felony offense to have sex with an animal in Tennessee. Previously, there was no statute dealing specifically with bestiality.

This isn’t the first time Tait made headlines for fostering intimate relationships with equine. In 2005, Tait photographed Kenneth Pinyan, a 45-year-old Boeing engineer who died from internal injuries he suffered while engaging in sex acts with a horse at a farm in Washington state.

Tait pleaded guilty to trespassing, and Pinyan’s death prompted Washington state lawmakers to pass a bill outlawing sex with animals. ..Source.. SKYLER SWISHER