A Boston man is facing multiple charges in connection with a reported sexual assault of a horse that happened in Norfolk, Massachusetts last week, according to police.
Norfolk police say 19-year-old Jackson Z. Kelley, who lives in Boston’s Allston neighborhood, turned himself in late Tuesday morning with his attorney.
Kelley was arrested, booked at the police station and transported to Wrentham District Court to be arraigned on the following charges: sexual contact with an animal, cruelty to animals and nighttime breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony.
“The Norfolk Police Department would like to thank the public for taking the time to come forward and become involved,” reads a statement from the department. “We received many calls providing information which eventually led to the identification of Kelley as the suspect.”
During his arraignment on Tuesday, Kelley was ordered to be held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing that is scheduled for Friday.
The owner of Turner Hill Equestrian Stables, Hillary Swarr, confirmed to NewsCenter 5 on July 17 that one of the horses at her Miller Street facility was sexually assaulted in the early morning hours of July 15.
“I don’t think anybody is prepared for something like this,” Swarr said.
Swarr says she got an alert from her security system at around 4:30 a.m. on July 15 and she saw a man inside the stables abusing one of the horses when she checked her security cameras.
According to Swarr, the man unplugged all of her security cameras except one, and was able to flee the scene before anyone could get to the stables to stop or apprehend him.
“I felt violated. I felt lost. I felt scared,” Swarr said. “To see that someone would come into my own home and degrade a positive environment left me feeling violated.
According to Swarr, the suspect — later identified as Kelley — knew how to handle horses and is familiar with the animals.
“Someone, perhaps, in the business was savvy enough to get into the barn; be able to halter a horse, which to people who are novice, was not the easiest task; was able to put it on a cross-tie system, which secures the horse in a certain, particular area; and had the know-how to get grain or feed to keep it occupied,” Swarr said.
In a statement, the horse’s owner — who wishes to remain anonymous — said that while she questions why the man committed the “grotesque act” on her horse, she feels “empowered” to support her fellow members in the Massachusetts equestrian community, both people and horses alike.
“If it weren’t for good surveillance, we’d never know about this,” the statement reads. “No one should experience sexual assault, and we will find this individual and bring him to justice.”
Swarr says DNA samples were collected from the mare that was assaulted and were being processed by investigators. She says the horse that was assaulted was not injured.
Norfolk Police Detective Samuel Webb, who led the investigation, said that he sent an alert out to surrounding communities to see if they had any information or similar incidents.
“I was able to get some leads from that,” Webb said. “I have some things I’m going to check out.”
Swarr said that she has installed a new security system that will hopefully prevent an incident like this from happening again to any of the 22 privately-owned horses that reside at her stable.
Tell us your thoughts...