Boston man accused of sexually abusing horse held without bail

A Boston man was arrested and held without bail for allegedly sexually abusing a horse earlier this month in Massachusetts. Authorities have collected DNA samples for further evidence.

Boston man accused of sexually abusing horse held without bail

Jackson Z. Kelley, 19, is charged with having sexual contact with an animal, cruelty to animals and breaking and entering overnight with the intent to commit a felony.

Kelley, who, judging by his mugshot, appears to be a black man, was identified by a barn owner who is accused of breaking into Norfolk, which is about 32 miles southwest of Boston.

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BREAKING: @NorfolkMAPolice announce arrest of 19 y/o Jackson Kelley of Allston for sexually assaulting a horse last week. He turned himself in today & was arraigned on charges including Sexual Contact with an Animal. Dangerousness Hearing on Friday. #wcvb pic.twitter.com/4hcJtaI4zK

— Todd Kazakiewich (@ToddKazakiewich) July 20, 2021

The owner said he received an electronic alert that there was a break-in at his barn and claimed he saw Kelley having sex with one of the horses through a surveillance camera in the early morning hours last Friday.

The owner provided police with a screenshot of a person who closely resembles Kelley with pants around his ankles and standing on a stepladder.

Kelley disabled all but one of the barn’s surveillance cameras, the owner said.

Before Kelley was identified and arrested, Swarr told the MetroWest Daily News that he thought the person he saw in the video was “a sexual predator.”

“Someone, perhaps, in the business was smart enough to get into the barn; be able to put halter on a horse, which for novices was not the easiest task; was able to put him in a cross-tie system, which secures the horse in a particular, determined area”, Swarr said.

Swarr also added, “Have someone come into your barn, pick out a horse like a mistress, take him out and maneuver him in such a way that self-gratification is beyond me.”

The horse’s owner, who did not officially identify himself, called the allegations a “grotesque act” and expressed relief that police had a suspect in custody.