Circuit Judge James Stephen Yoffy ordered Stephen Matthew Taylor, 31, to undergo a psychosexual evaluation on Tuesday after the defendant stunned, disgusted, and left the judge speechless with his admissions of criminal acts against Rottweilers. Taylor, of Lakeside, VA, was charged with Bestiality. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor animal cruelty and entered an Alford plea to a felony charge animal cruelty, following the death of a dog.
An assistant commonwealth’s attorney for Henrico County, Nael A. Abouzaki, described the defendant’s behavior toward the Rottweilers as “appalling,” according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
He said 10 of 171 images of bestiality discovered on a hard drive at Taylor’s home were of Taylor performing oral sex on one of the Rottweilers. Abouzaki said Taylor admitted to law enforcement that he did perform oral sex on one of his eight dogs. However, Taylor’s lawyer, William T. Linka, claims that the person in the images is not his client.
Search warrant leads to discovery of dog abuse
In November 2016, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Taylor’s home, according to a criminal complaint. The search was conducted for evidence of crimes against nature and child pornography, the Times-Dispatch reported.
Craig Michael Knox, 36, Taylor’s roommate, was arrested following the search in November.
Knox was arraigned in Pennsylvania. According to the Attorney General’s Office in Pennsylvania, Knox faced charges of various sex crimes. One charge evolved from when Knox lived in Pittston, PA, in 2010. He was accused of raping a 9-year-old boy.
Animal abuser charged with bestiality
When the warrant for Knox arrest was carried out by law enforcement, they investigated Taylor.
He was charged with animal cruelty and bestiality 8 days after Knox was taken into police custody, WTVR reported.
The criminal complaint stated that eight dogs were seized at Taylor’s home, the Times-Dispatch noted. Two of the Rottweilers had to be euthanized Abouzaki said. The graphic nature of the case against Taylor stunned the judge.
“I don’t have any words,” Judge Yoffy said, according to the Times-Dispatch. “This is disgusting,” he also stated.
Taylor asserted that he is not guilty following his court appearance. He characterized the allegations as lies. He purportedly didn’t think he could get a fair trial so he entered the pleas. The Alford plea was not an admission of guilt but an acknowledgment that Henrico prosecutors do have ample evidence to obtain a conviction.
Blame game between roommates
Taylor contends that Knox committed the sexual assaults against the dogs. He also stated that the images show his former roommate performing oral sex on the Rottweilers. WTVR reported that Knox informed police that Taylor was aware he was sexually abusing the dogs and that the duo discussed having “sexual contact with the dogs.”
Abouzaki told the court that the roommates exchanged texts.
The two men discussed sexual acts with dogs. According to WTVR, a veterinarian examined one of the dogs. The doctor discovered that the dog had an infection in its penis, rectum, and anal glands. Unlike Taylor, Knox has not faced any charge of animal cruelty.
Taylor is currently free on bond. He will be sentenced November 14. He faces the possibility of up to six years in prison. Judge Yoffy ordered Taylor not to have any contact with animals.
