Teen Arrested For Bestiality, Accused Of Sexually Assaulting 8-Year-Old Girl Also

A Michigan teenager arrested in April after being accused of engaging in sex acts with a dog was suspected of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old relative, the state police said Thursday.

After being charged with a count of crime against nature or sodomy, Damian Barton, 18, from Alpena – about 250 miles north of Detroit – faced a first-degree criminal sexual conduct charge. According to the investigators, the unidentified victim spoke up about the accused sexually assaulting her when she attended a presentation on inappropriate touching at school.

“Damian Barton of Alpena has been charged in another sex-crime case. The new case began when an eight-year-old female relative disclosed that Barton had sexually assaulted her,” Michigan State Police public information for the Seventh District said in a tweet. The exact relation between Barton and the young girl was not clear.

Details about the recent case were not immediately clear. In a press release, the Alpena troopers said they handed over the findings to city prosecutor’s office, which issued a new warrant against the suspect on April 24.

The teenager was arrested April 23, after the police were alerted to a surveillance footage which reportedly showed Barton having sex with a bull terrier/Labrador mix. The tipster told the state troopers she came across the footage while reviewing home security videos.

Barton was reportedly an associate of the family on whose property the act took place. After analyzing the footage, the police took the suspect into custody. It remained unclear whom the dog belonged to and what was the condition of the dog. Other details of the case were also not made available by police.

Under Section 750.158 of the Michigan Penal Code, which was placed against Barton, it is a felony to commit detestable crimes against mankind or against animals. If convicted, Barton could face up to 15 years in prison.

Section 750.520b of the penal code stated that “for a violation that is committed by an individual 17 years of age or older against an individual less than 13 years of age," the punishment would be "imprisonment for life or any term of years, but not less than 25 years.”

Barton, who was booked in Alpena County jail awaiting court on bestiality charges, was arraigned on the latest charge in 88th District Court. He remains in jail on a $250,000 bond.

In a similar case reported in the same month, a 27-year-old man in Ocala, Florida, was arrested for engaging in sex acts with a dog. According to the arrest affidavit, the incident came to light when a woman submitted a mobile phone that her brother had found in a restaurant to the police. The phone contained several “disturbing images and text messages.” The owner of the phone, Jesse C. Allen, was charged with two counts of “sexual activity involving animals.”