It is now illegal in Ohio for the people to engage in sexual conduct or related acts with animals, the state did not have anti-bestiality laws until the change took effect in the last week. The measure gained enough votes to pass in the December when it was incorporated into a bill which bars local jurisdictions from raising the minimum wage or regulating pet stores, as reported by The Dayton Daily News.
Offenders could face up to 90 days in jail and also have the animal seized and impounded. They also could be ordered to undergo the psychological evaluation or counseling.
"It's a crime that defies explanation to the rational person," said Mark Kumpf, the director of Montgomery County Animal Resource Center. "We're dealing with a different species."
Most states have laws prohibiting sexual conduct with the animals. Eight states do not, along with the Washington, D.C.
Rep. Jim Hughes, from the Upper Arlington, who sponsored the anti-bestiality measure with the fellow Republican Sen. Jay Hottinger, has described bestiality as a "sickening and perverse."
"We don't want Ohio to be the place you can come and have sex with an animal," he said.
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There is also some concern among law enforcement about links between such acts and also other crimes.
A Virginia police detective who has spent years focused on the internet crimes against children said that he has seen links between bestiality and child sex abuse.
"I found that people who were engaged in crimes against children were also engaged in sexual crimes against animals," said the Fairfax County Detective Jeremy Hoffman. "It was people from everyday walks of life. There was no stereotype that you could pin to any of them."
Mrudula Duddempudi.