Horses sexually assaulted at racetrack
Goshen, NY (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Jul 16, 2009
County: Orange

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Erick Rivera

An 18-year-old man has been accused of having sex with horses at an upstate New York harness track.

Erick Rivera is charged with five counts each of sexual misconduct with an animal and burglary after an investigation at the Goshen Historic Track in Orange County.

Goshen Village Police Chief James Watt says Rivera sneaked into the track at night from his nearby rented room and abused the animals. Horsemen became suspicious starting in July when they found the standard breds bridled and immobilized in their stalls during morning checks.

Watt says Friday a surveillance camera recorded the unemployed Rivera in a barn.

He's being held in the county jail on $15,000 bail. Police say they don't know if he has a lawyer. The track is about 50 miles northwest of New York City.

References

• CBS Albany - Dec 18 2009

« NY State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Orange County, NY

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.