Lubbock man charged with possessing child porn, bestiality
A 26-year-old Lubbock man who admitted to sexually abusing his dog two to three times a day for the last three years faces multiple counts of possessing child sexual abuse materials and bestiality.
Cody Sandahl, who has been held at the Lubbock County Detention Center since his Nov. 17 arrest, was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury on 11 counts of possession of child pornography and 10 counts of bestiality.
Possession of child pornography is a third-degree felony that carries a punishment of two to 10 years in prison. Bestiality is a state jail felony, which carries a punishment of 6 months to two years in a state jail facility.
The indictments allege that Sandahl possessed images of child sexual abuse that included images of children displaying their genitals or being sexually abused. One count alleges the materials he possessed depicted a child engaging in bestiality.
A second indictment also alleges Sandahl forced a dog to perform sexual acts on him 10 times between February to November.
Sandahl's charge stems from a Lubbock police investigation that began in September, after detectives received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited children that child pornography was being uploaded on the social media app Snapchat.
However,investigators found evidence that Sandahl was also engaging in sexual activity with his pet.
On Nov. 14, a police detective traveled to Sandahl's residence for an interview. During the interview Sandahl consented to a search on his phone.
The detective found 10 videos and 72 images that appeared to depict a man believed to be Sandahl engaging in sexual acts with his dog, a Heeler named Jax, the warrant states.
Sandahl reportedly told investigators he considers himself to be a "furry," a person who identifies as a particular species of animal.
He reportedly said he was 15 years old when he first tried having sexual contact with the family dog. However, he said the dog bit him and he stopped.
He initially told detectives that he never sexually abused his current dogs, but did reportedly admit to watching his his dogs have sex and even bought a dog-themed sex toy from an online adult store.
However, he later admitted to committing about 1,000 acts of bestiality with a dog over the last three years.
"Cody advised that the dog likes it and lays next to him after," the report states. "Cody advised that he never forces the dog to commit these acts."
A warrant was issued on Nov. 17 for Sandahl's arrest in connection with the child pornography investigation.
After Sandahl's arrest an animal control supervisor allowed the dog to remain with Sandahl's family as long as he was no longer in the residence and no other family members were involved in abusing the dog. However, the officials said the animal services office would need to be notified in the event of Sandahl's release from jail to ensure the dog's safety.
Sandahl remains held at the Lubbock County Detention Center as of Friday. Court officials say he has been appointed counsel.
His bond on the child pornography charge is set at $200,000 and $25,000 for the bestiality charge.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Possession of child porn, bestiality charges filed against Lubbock man
