DOVER — A 24-year-old Dover man has been charged with sexual intercourse with an animal and cruelty to animals after police say he sexually assaulted a dog while visiting a friend’s house.
Jeremy Paul Shaner, of the 100 block of Cedar Hill Drive, was charged with the two misdemeanor offenses after an incident that occurred on Dec. 29, 2017, according to Newberry Township police.
According to police, officers were contacted by one of the dog’s owners, Steven Reinhardt, who told them Shaner sexually assaulted the dog while visiting their home.
Police say Shaner was visiting a friend at the home before the incident. The friend asked him to leave, then the friend went into a bedroom in the rear of the home, according to the criminal complaint.
A few minutes later, another resident of the home, Fifi Reinhardt, arrived and heard the dog yelping and crying. The sounds were coming from a bathroom in the home, the criminal complaint says. She later told police that the dog sounded as if it was dying.
Fifi Reinhardt told police she opened the bathroom door to find Shaner standing completely naked next to the toilet. The dog, a 5-year-old boxer, ran out of the bathroom crying, and Shaner picked up his clothes and ran out of the home, according to the criminal complaint.
The dog was taken to an animal hospital for an exam, police say.
According to the criminal complaint, police interviewed Shaner the next day. He allegedly admitted to taking the dog into the bathroom, removing his clothes, and masturbating while touching the dog’s penis, the criminal complaint says.
The misdemeanor charges against Shaner are summary offenses, according to police.
There was no word from police on the condition of the dog.
