Charge filed in connection with man who died having horse sex

James Michael Tait, 54, of Enumclaw, is accused of entering a barn without the owner's permission. If convicted he faces up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Prosecutors filed the charge today in county district court. Arraignment is scheduled for the week of Oct. 31. Tait does not have a listed phone number and it was not clear if he had obtained a lawyer.

Officers were told that Tait entered a neighbor's barn last July in Enumclaw along with the man who died so that the latter could have sex with a horse, charging papers said. Tait was videotaping the episode when the man received internal injuries that led to his death.

Officer were told that Tait, the man who died, and a third man sneaked into the barn repeatedly to have sex with horses, according to the documents. The third man was not charged with trespassing because investigators found no videotapes or other evidence that placed him in the barn on a specific date.

The prosecutor's office says no animal cruelty charges were filed because there was no evidence of injury to the horses.