Sodomizing a Sheep Doesn’t Put Perp on Michigan Sex Offender List

September 25, 2008--Despite a trend toward recognizing limited animal rights on the estate planning front, a Michigan appeals court has taken a traditional view of the law concerning a man convicted of sodomizing a sheep.

Jeffrey Scott Haynes, 45, a habitual offender who is serving a 2½- to 20-year prison term for sodomy will not have to register as a sex offender once he is released. That's because the victim of what a three-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals described as his "abominable and detestable crime against nature" doesn't qualify as a "individual" under state law, reports the Detroit Free Press. The court said the sheep was the "object" of Haynes' crime, but held that he would have had to commit a crime against a human being to qualify for the sex offender registry, according to the newspaper.

The prosecution had persuaded the trial court that Haynes should be required to register, and John Hallacy, the Calhoun County prosecutor, said yesterday that the "the activity involved exemplifies a dangerous and deviant behavior that ought to fall under the registry requirements."

Although Haynes has previously been convicted of home invasion, forgery and uttering and publishing, he apparently doesn't have any prior sex convictions. He was reportedly convicted of sodomizing the sheep based on DNA evidence after a Bedford Township farmer found him trespassing several years ago and noticed an injured sheep.

The Young Billioaires of the World, 2009 (David Lim, Auckland, New Zealand)

Sergey Brin, 35, Google co-founder, $12bn

Larry Page, 36, Google co-founder, $12bn

Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahayan, 39, Abu Dhabi ruling family,
$4.9bn

Daniel Ziff, 37, Ziff Brother Investments, $3.5bn

John Arnold, 35, Centaurus Hedge Fund, $2.7bn

Prince Albert von Thurn und Taxis, 25, $2.1

Kenneth Griffin, 40, Citadel Hedge Fund, $1.5bn

Chu Lam Yiu, 39, Huabao International, $1.5bn

Jerry Yang, 40, Yahoo co-founder, $1.1bn

William Ding, 38, Netease founder, $1.1bn

Andrey Melnichenko, 37, MDM Bank founder, $1bn

source: Forbes