Miller County man arrested during pretrial hearing Monday

Miller County, Ark., Courthouse is seen in December 2015 at 400 Laurel St., Texarkana.
Miller County, Ark., Courthouse is seen in December 2015 at 400 Laurel St., Texarkana.

Miller County deputies arrested a Fouke, Ark., man Monday for 27 criminal charges stemming from the alleged sexual abuse of horses and dogs.

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Eddie Wade, left, and Randy Payne, both with Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, add asphalt Friday to a section of a sidewalk at the crossing on Emma Avenue in Springdale. The railroad is adding crossing gates at the intersection. Work will be completed soon, but the infill on the sidewalk is being added for pedestrian safety until the sidewalk is finished.

Ryan Dylan McDonald, 38, was taken into custody when he appeared for a pretrial hearing in Miller County district court Monday on an existing misdemeanor charge of bestiality for which he was arrested in November 2015. McDonald has been charged with 18 felony counts of obscene films and nine additional misdemeanor counts of bestiality.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey Sams said the felony counts involve videos allegedly found on McDonald's cell phone when it was seized at the time of his arrest in November on a miniature horse farm in Genoa, Ark. McDonald allegedly admitted at the time of horse farm arrest that he had a video of himself on his phone "fornicating" with a miniature mare, according to an arrest affidavit.

A warrant to search the phone was acquired in November and the phone was given to state police experts for a forensic analysis. The felony warrants executed Monday involve 18 videos which McDonald allegedly shared with others or uploaded on the internet. The misdemeanor charges involve nine alleged of sex with horses and dogs which investigators do not believe were shared with
others.

Sams said the videos allegedly depicting sex with horses were filmed outside while the videos allegedly portraying sex with dogs were filmed in a hotel room. Sams said that in some of the videos with dogs, it appears McDonald is not the only person in the room.

"I just don't have the words to describe what we're seeing in these videos," Sams said. "And it's not just disturbing, it's criminal."

Sams said McDonald's bail was set at $25,000 during an initial appearance before a Miller County judge Tuesday. McDonald was free on a $2,000 bail bond on the November bestiality arrest and a charge of criminal trespassing levied in November as well. McDonald had been banned from the miniature horse farm in July 2015 when he was arrested there in November.

A patrol deputy was driving south on County Road 70 at about 1 a.m. Nov. 1 when he noticed a tan and maroon van parked in the woods on the west side of the road. The van appeared abandoned when the deputy approached it from the rear, where a back window was open. But as the deputy walked toward the front of the van, he could see a man lying in the floor of the back seat,
hiding.

McDonald allegedly told deputies he'd had a heated argument with his father and was just looking for a place to cool off and sleep. But McDonald's story changed when officers confronted him about being kicked off the horse
farm July 2.

McDonald reportedly admitted that if asked, his parents were unlikely to substantiate his explanation. After getting his consent, deputies searched the van. Inside a red and white Igloo Playmate cooler the officers found plastic bags of whole corn. When asked if he used the corn to lure the horses, McDonald claimed he collected the grain from a deer feeder, screamed and
became irate.

After giving up on his initial denials, McDonald allegedly told the investigators a video of his misdeeds is recorded on his cellphone, leading them to seize the device and acquire a warrant to search it.

Each of the 18 felony counts is punishable by up to six years in prison. Each of the nine misdemeanors is punishable by up to a year in the county jail. McDonald posted bond after his hearing Tuesday. As a condition of his release, McDonald must wear a GPS leg monitor and is confined to his home unless appearing in court or seeking medical treatment, Sams said. McDonald is also prohibited from keeping any animals in his home or on the property where he lives.

He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Aug. 30.

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