Champions of Assembly Bill 666 delivered a speech at a public hearing in front of the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety. State Representative Andre Jacques has invested much effort to criminalize sexual assault on animals, as to date it is considered a misdemeanor and does not lead to imprisonment.
READ MORE: Syrian Man Arrested for Raping Pony in German Kid's Zoo
The bill was proposed after hearing the report on Sterling Rachwal, who had been abusing animals for 35 years and had repeatedly been arrested for crimes committed on local farms. Earlier in January, Rachwal was sentenced to probation for molesting horses in Brown and Manitowoc counties.
The Wisconsin State Director of the Humane Society of the United States Melissa Tedrowe stated that support for the bill will go far beyond Rachwal’s case.
"This bill is not about one individual. What we know is that thousands of people nationwide, including here in Wisconsin, solicit or offer sex with animals every year," she said, adding that "One popular bestiality forum, the most recent Wisconsin roll thread, which is essentially a thread where people say where they're located in the state, has 117 replies and has been viewed 7,500 times."
A teen was arrested earlier in January for sexually molesting a horse after breaking in its owner’s barn in Alabama. He was charged with possession of thieves’ tools, criminal trespassing and bestiality.
