No charges filed yet in molestation, bestiality case

The Somerton man arrested last week for alleged sex crimes involving a minor and several species of animals has not been charged with any crimes — at least for now.

Cody Slaughter appeared before Justice of the Peace Jorge Lozano via video-feed from the Yuma County jail for an arraignment in Somerton Justice Court Tuesday. Slaughter was informed that the Yuma County Attorney's Office had not filed a criminal complaint against him.

“The county attorney's office has reviewed your case and, as of today, has not filed any criminal charges against you,” Lozano said.

Lozano also told Slaughter that he was being released from custody and that charges could still be filed later. He added if charges are filed, he would then be summoned back into court rather than being rearrested.

Chief Criminal Deputy County Attorney Roger Nelson said the reason no complaint was filed is the case has been sent back to the Yuma County Sheriff's Office for further investigation. He added that he expects charges will eventually be filed in the case and that there are no statute of limitations on any of the crimes.

Slaughter was being held in the Yuma County jail on one count of sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of bestiality for alleged sexual relations with several species of animals, including a dog, a horse and a pig, at some point between 2004 and 2012.

According to the Yuma County Sheriff's Office, Customs and Border Protection contacted YCSO last week about possible criminal activity based on comments that Slaughter had made during a pre-employment interview. CBP turned the statements over to YCSO, which then began a criminal investigation.

YCSO interviewed Slaughter regarding the admissions as part of its investigation and he confirmed that his previous statements were true and accurate. During the interviews, Slaughter admitted to molesting a 2-year-old girl eight years ago when he was 14 and having sexual interaction with several species of animals, as well as a history of drug use.

Due to the nature of Slaughter's statements, a search warrant was served at his residence in the 3600 block of West Sun Street in Somerton on July 5. Investigators recovered several items of evidence that directly link the suspect to his prior statements and admissions. He was later booked into the Yuma County jail.

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to call the YCSO at 783-4427.

James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.