Former carnival worker charged under Alabama's new bestiality law
By Jonathan Grass - AL.com
A man living in Phil Campbell has become Franklin County's first suspect under the state's bestiality law enacted last year.
Franklin County deputies arrested Russell Joseph Meyers, 54, on four counts of bestiality, plus one count of second-degree possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said Meyers admitted he had sexual relations with his female German shepherd on four occasions.
Meyers got caught when he accidentally called someone while engaging in one of these acts, Oliver said. He said no one answered the phone, and the act was caught on the recipient's voicemail. This person alerted the authorities after hearing the message.
Deputies say Meyers admitted to the bestiality when they questioned him. He was taken to the Franklin County Jail on a $6,000 bond. He is forbidden from contact with animals, firearms and his neighbors if he makes bond.
Alabama's bestiality law, a Class A misdemeanor, went into effect on July 1, 2014, said Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing. He said all four of the alleged acts took place after that date.
"It's scary that it's had to go on more than we know for them to make a law," Oliver said.
Rushing filed a motion of allegations of sexual motivation in court on Tuesday. He explained that this motion applies to cases outside of normal sex offender factors. This means if a judge accepts the motion and Meyers is convicted, he could be ordered to register as a sex offender.
Authorities say Meyers worked for years in a traveling carnival and is from Chicago, Illinois. Oliver said he settled down in Franklin County about three or four years ago, but it's unclear if he's been employed during that time.
Rushing said Meyers was living in a shed or camper-type structure without utilities. He had a second dog, a small Chihuahua, but was only engaging in sexual acts with the German shepherd, Rushing said.
Oliver said the dog seems to be doing fine. She is being held by animal control and will be examined by a veterinarian.
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