Kentucky pair pleads guilty in first bestiality conviction since law change
Two people pleaded guilty Monday to charges of sexual crimes against an animal, marking the first bestiality conviction since the crime became a class D felony in Kentucky.
The announcement was made Tuesday by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s office, which prosecuted the case.
Nolene Renee Horn, 44, of Bracken County and Christopher S. Jones, 50, both pleaded guilty in Mason County Circuit Court to two counts of sexual crimes against an animal and two counts of torture of a dog, which is a class A misdemeanor. The charges of sexual crimes against an animal can carry up to five years in prison and charges of torture of a dog could carry 120 days in prison and a $500 fine.
The two will be sentenced on Feb. 22, 2021, according to court records.
Horn and Jones were indicted on the charges in June.
“I am thankful to the Maysville Police Department and the Boone County Sheriff’s Office for their investigative work, which laid the foundation for our Office of Special Prosecutions to secure a conviction on behalf of the commonwealth,” Cameron said in his announcement Tuesday. “I am also grateful to the General Assembly for passing Senate Bill 67 last year and ensuring appropriate state penalties exist to address this sort of terrible crime.”
The case was prosecuted by assistant Attorney General Rewa Zakharia, and Judge Stockton B. Wood will preside over sentencing.
