Man arrested for violating neighbor's dog

By LISA IRISH, The Daily Courier

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

A Chino Valley man was indicted on bestiality and aggravated assault charges Thursday in early disposition court after he allegedly sexually assaulted a neighbor's dog.

A case management conference is set for Gary Riley, 38, of Chino Valley at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 16 before Yavapai Superior Court Judge Thomas B. Lindberg, said Penny Cramer, administrative assistant for the Yavapai County Attorney's office.

Yavapai County Sheriff's deputies arrested Riley at his home after 5:24 p.m. on Jan. 7 after they spoke with his neighbor, Levi Federwisch.

Federwisch told deputies when he came home from work he noticed his 6-month-old female border collie Daisy missing from his fenced backyard and not inside the house.

Federwisch told deputies he looked for his dog, then came home and saw Riley sexually assaulting Daisy.

Federwisch told deputies he briefly struggled with Riley to free Daisy.

After speaking with Federwisch, deputies knocked on Riley's front door and identified themselves, but no one answered. After finding the back door ajar, deputies knocked, announced themselves again and entered Riley's home.

Deputies found Riley hiding under a bed, said Dwight D'Evelyn, spokesman for the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies saw a mark on Riley's face that he said happened when a man punched him.

After deputies arrested Riley on charges of aggravated assault, they took him to their patrol vehicle, where Riley told them he'd drank 12 bottles of Budweiser beer, a violation of his parole.

Riley told deputies when he saw the dog on his property, he picked her up so he could return her; then a man started yelling and hit him without being provoked.

When the man said he was calling police, Riley told deputies he became frightened since he'd just been released from prison and was on parole.

Riley said he went inside his home, took a shower and hid under the bed.

Deputies took Riley to the Prescott substation, where he consented to a search of his body for marks.

Riley had multiple scratches and scrapes on his arms, front torso, lower back, chest abdomen and pelvic area that were consistent with a dog's claws, according to the Sheriff's Office report.

"Riley's injuries were consistent with what the owner of the dog said he had seen - Riley performing a sex act with the dog," D'Evelyn said.

Riley also consented to swabs of his mouth, which deputies submitted into evidence.

A doctor from the Chino Valley Animal Hospital examined Daisy and noted that the puppy had wounds that had happened in the past day on the interior of her vulva, according to the Sheriff's Office report.

The doctor noted Daisy was not in heat, and took swabs of her area, which deputies submitted into evidence.

Deputies booked Riley into the Camp Verde jail on charges of bestiality, aggravated assault and theft of property.

"Actually, these cases come up far more than you think they would," said Stephanie Nichols-Young, president of the Animal Defense League of Arizona. "It's very troubling."

"In some cases, smaller animals die or are horribly injured after they are violated. It is essentially rape."

From: http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=76860