Jean Marie Bugoma
A 25-year-old Texas man will spend a decade behind bars after he admitted to unlawful sexual conduct with a horse, local authorities say.
Criminal District Court Judge Ron Rangel on Wednesday handed down a sentence of 10 years to Jean Marie Bugoma for sexually assaulting a horse at an equine boarding facility in January 2021.
According to a press release from the City of San Antonio Animal Care Services Department (ACS), Bugoma pleaded guilty to one count of bestiality in the presence of a child under the age of 18. Prior to reaching a deal with prosecutors, Bugoma had initially faced multiple felony charges in connection to a series of cruel incidents involving the animals.
“A number of animals were injured in the attack which occurred after Bugoma broke into the stable, allegedly to have sexual relations with several horses,” ACS said in the release.
A Bexar County Grand Jury in July 2021 returned a true bill indicting Bugoma on several burglary and bestiality charges. Prosecutors alleged that Bugoma on Jan. 8, 2021 “intentionally and knowingly entered a building which was not open to the public with the intent to commit the felony offense of bestiality without the effective consent of the owner.” The indictment further stated that on that date, “Bugoma intentionally and knowingly engaged in sexual conduct with a horse.”
According to a report from San Antonio CBS affiliate KSAT-TV, the owner of an equine boarding facility on June 22, 2020 contacted authorities after noticing that two of the housed horses were injured, another had been let out of its stall, and several items in his stables were out of place.
A veterinarian called to the scene reportedly concluded that the horses had been “sexually and physically assaulted.” Authorities reportedly recovered DNA evidence from at least one of the horses and from the stalls. Surveillance camera footage from inside the facility showed a man fitting Bugoma’s description “walking through the stables while naked,” KSAT reported.
Similarly, Bugoma in January 2021 “hobbled” several horses in the facility by tying their legs together “and again committed bestiality,” the affidavit reportedly states.
Officers with the San Antonio Police Department on Feb. 14, 2021 – Valentine’s Day – took Bugoma into custody after he was caught trying to break into the facility again.
DNA obtained from Bugoma reportedly matched the DNA previously obtained from the horse and the stalls.
Bugoma was also charged with cruelty to animals for allegedly “tripping” at least three horses in the course of the burglary. Per the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), “tripping” refers to “roping the front or hind legs of a galloping horse while on foot or horseback, causing it to trip and fall for entertainment purposes.”
“Bugoma intentionally and knowingly tripped a horse identified by the name of Cello, a second horse by the name of Uhtred and a third horse by the name of GG/Gigi and Bugoma’s conduct was not a generally accepted and otherwise lawful form of conduct occurring solely for the purpose of or in support of fishing, hunting or trapping; or wildlife management, wildlife or depredation control, or shooting preserve practices as regulated by state or federal law; or animal husbandry or agriculture practice involving livestock animals,” prosecutors reportedly said.
Prosecutors also alleged that the horses may have been assaulted with “an unknown object,” KSAT reported.
[Image via Bexar County Jail]