Are my friend's actions considered bestiality under South Dakotan law, and do I have an obligation to report her if so?

[proofbear]

The Situation:

A couple of weeks ago, one of my best friends from college approached me and said that she needed to get something off her chest.

She told me that last semester, while she was trying to fall asleep one night, her roommate's cat came and jumped onto her bed. For whatever reason, she thought it would be a good idea to start petting/massaging this cat on the crotch. However, she made it clear to me that she never came into contact with the cat's genitals, nor did she have any intention to.

She also explained that the incident lasted only around a minute, and that nothing like this has happened before or since, nor is she attracted to animals.

Even so, she seems convinced that she has committed bestiality under South Dakotan law.

The associated shame and stress she feels over this incident is starting to affect her grades and I just want to be able to help her in some way, though I have no idea how.


The Law:

My friend believes that under Statute 22-22-42 she has committed bestiality.

Although it wasn't her intention, she's afraid that she has violated the following provision:

"3. Use any part of the person's body or an object to sexually stimulate an animal"

Sometimes she expresses a desire to "turn herself in."

I'm not a lawyer and honestly I'm just really confused by all this, but I think she's being too hard on herself. She's usually too hard on herself.

 

[Taxing Matters]

I doubt very much what you described is a violation of the state's law and certainly can't see a prosecutor being willing to prosecute someone for scratching a cat's tummy a bit close to it's genitals. And it's not like anyone will know about it if she keeps it to herself. She should just forget about it and move on. And no, you don't have any obligation to report it even if it was a violation of the state's law.

 

[xylene]

Tell you friend to seek out a therapist to discuss why she is decompensating.

She seems to be troubled and it is hurting her studies.

That is not inconsequential.

 

[FlyingRon]

He was practicing animal husbandry until they caught him at it.

 

[commentator]

What about a dog that runs over and humps your leg? Have you committed bestiality in that case? If she is even thinking about and talking about this in the manner you describe, your friend needs some serious mental health intervention.

If she is in college, there should be counseling services available on campus, she needs to get to them. They won't turn her in to the legal authorities, and your responsibility is not to "turn her in" to anybody, either. That's a really silly question, but really, as a friend you should strongly encourage her to get some help, to speak with a counselor perhaps. If she tries to go down to the.....I don't know, district attorney, local police station, campus police station, whatever, and confess her crime, she's probably going to find herself quickly taken to the nearest mental health center for evaluation.