Redfish arrested
Shelby man charged with crimes against nature
Megan Ward
Star Staff Writer
SHELBY — Employees at HarvestWorks are installing a security system in their barn after a Shelby man was arrested Saturday for sexually assaulting a miniature donkey.
“This is unfathomable,” said Rhonda Cooper, HarvestWorks program director. “But we are going to protect our animals.”
HarvestWorks is a non-profit organization that assists children and young adults who have developmental disabilities. A working farm is on the campus on North Post Road.
On Friday morning, employees found their miniature donkey, Jackie, in the barn with her hind legs tied together.
They called the Cleveland County Sheriff’s office and a veterinarian.
The vet checked Jackie and determined she was sexually assaulted.
The employees were shocked and angry, Ms. Cooper said.
“They decided to stake the barn out,” she said. “They were going to stay all night if they had to.”
On Saturday night, just before 11, employees watched a man sneak into the barn. They called the sheriff’s office and when the deputies arrived, the man was still inside.
Deputies reported they found Jackie in a stall with her hind legs tied together. They also discovered Larry McMurry, 59, of 816 N. Post Road, lying in a pile of sawdust in the barn, according to reports.
McMurry told the deputies he was looking for a place to sleep. McMurry was incoherent and the deputy was unable to interview him, the deputy reported.
McMurry was arrested on a felony charge of crimes against nature and a misdemeanor breaking and entering charge. He remains in the Cleveland County jail with secured bond set at $50,000.
Ms. Cooper said Monday that Jackie has been acting a bit skittish but was otherwise fine.
“This morning she came up and let me pet her nose,” Ms. Cooper said.
A veterinarian checked other animals on the farm — including the ponies and horses — but found no evidence they had been assaulted.
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