York County man to stand trial on charges including sexual assault and animal cruelty
A York County man is headed toward trial on charges of alleged sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl in York County, invasion of privacy, producing/presenting/directing an obscene performance, and alleged sexual intercourse with an animal.
Ryan Anthony Peters, 39, of Spring Grove rejected a plea deal arranged by the commonwealth and has agreed to stand trial tentatively set for the week of September 9 on charges involving three cases.
More: Two people, one a convicted sex offender, charged with sexual assault of a minor
Peters’ attorney Korey Leslie requested the trial to be set several months from now to allow time to review the materials discovered as evidence in the case, including a cell phone allegedly containing child pornography and several videos as well.
On July 3, 2023, a 16-year-old girl reported to Pennsylvania State Police, Troop H, Carlisle Station that she had been a victim of a sex assault at the 2000 block of Buffalo Valley Road, Codorus Township, York County, according to charging documents. She reported to officers that the assault had occurred on June 29, 2023.
According to police, the victim said that on June 29, she accompanied her mother to Peters' residence. Peters was a friend of her mother's and had invited them both to a cookout. They arrived late in the evening and upon arrival Peters was around a fire in the backyard with his roommate, later identified as 25-year-old Jadzia Martin.
Troop J, York Criminal Investigation Unit was notified of the reported assault and took over the investigation. A check on Peters showed that he was registered with Megan’s Law since 2007.
In 2009, he was charged and convicted of Statutory Sexual Assault and Failure to Comply as a Registered Sex Offender, according to police.
On July 11, 2023, Pennsylvania State Police executed a search warrant at Peters' residence. There, officers discovered a camera in his bedroom with an SD card, which was brought back to the station for review. Another camera was also discovered and obtained by police.
The SD cards were reviewed and showed six victims identified as "having sexual acts recorded both audibly and visually without their knowledge or consent," according to charging documents.
More: Sexual intercourse with a dog: York County woman pleads guilty, sentenced to probation
A separate case was made during the same search warrant, in which officers discovered a micro-SD card which showed three individuals, including Peters, engage "in an approximate hour and a half long course of conduct of ill-treatment of a dog," specifically involving "sexual intercourse" according to the affidavit of probable cause.
The timestamp footage ad displayed the offense took place three days prior to the search.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: York County man will stand trial for sexual abuse of animal and minor