Travis A. Joy, 45, of Spokane County, faces animal cruelty and other charges. Seven videos containing evidence of him having sexual contact with three dogs and one horse were turned over to authorities. When he moved out of a house, his roommate found the video camera containing the horrible acts, and turned it over to Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service (SCRAPS). Detectives were able to identify Joy by his tattoos and facial recognition, according to the Examiner. Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Mark Gregory said that Joy also faces harassment charges for threatening the lives of the individuals who he believed reported him to authorities.
Using scenery shown in the videos, the detectives found that the acts occurred in the Hillyard and Elk areas. It was determined that one of the dogs videotaped belonged to Joy . Both of his dogs were turned over to SCRAPS. Another dog in the video belonged to a friend of Joy, who left the dog with Joy for a few hours. When the friend returned, the obviously terrified dog was found shaking, cowering in a corner, and bleeding from her genital area. Unfortunately, that dog later died, according to The Spokesman-Review.
According to court documents and people who know Joy, he is addicted to methamphetamine and has been either living with friends or in his car in the last few years. Detectives arrested Joy at the home of the owner of one of the victim dogs when they informed police he was there on Wednesday morning. According to court documents, Joy indicated that he videotaped himself engaging in sexual acts with the animals so that he could later watch the video and not have to repeat the acts themselves.
He has a criminal history. Joy has a prior felony conviction for assault. He also was sentenced to three years in federal prison in 1997 after pleading guilty to two Spokane bank robberies. He is being held in lieu of $50,000 bond and is prohibited from having any contact with animals.
What charges do you think Joy should face? Do you think anyone who engages in bestiality can be rehabilitated? Should they ever be permitted to have contact with animals? Please leave your comments below.
In another similar act of animal abuse, a teenager took selfies while engaging in a sexual act with a dog . She was at her grandmother’s house when the acts occurred, according to an article in the Inquisitr.
[Photo Courtesy Washington Department of Corrections]