Prosecutor's Can't Charge FL Man for Having Sex with Dog
Having sex with a dog can be a crime in Florida, but it depends on the type of sex.
Eric Antunes was accused of possessing child pornography. Acting on a tip, Clearwater police investigated the man and found the porn on his computer, reports The Tampa Bay Times.
Antunes admitted to downloading and watching the child porn, but when police searched his cell phone and other belongings, they made a discovery that was equally disgusting.
On his cell phone were allegedly six pictures of Antunes performing oral sex acts with Ruby. Ruby is the three-legged dog owned by Antunes' girlfriend, Katerina Williamson. Almost as shocking as the pictures, must have been the fact that Antunes had a girlfriend.
As a result, the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office thought about pursing animal cruelty charges against Antunes in addition to the child porn charges. However, because of a strange loophole in the new Florida bestiality law, prosecutors decided not to pursue these charges.
In 2011, Florida Legislature passed a bill that outlawed bestiality and made it a first degree misdemeanor. However, the law only applies to conventional sex, and not oral sex, reports the Times. So under current Florida law, someone is allowed to have oral sex with an animal, just not conventional sex.
Eric Antunes is alleged to be one disgusting dude. Along with child porn, he was also nearly charged with a sex with dog crime. Given a loophole in Florida bestiality law, Antunes will avoid the animal cruelty charges. However, he still faces felony counts of possessing child porn.
Related Resources:
- Report: Man fought and licked loophole in Florida's bestiality law (The South Florida Sun Sentinel)
- Animal Rights (FindLaw's LawBrain)
- Dog Molester Won't Have to Register as Sex Offender (FindLaw's Legally Weird)