An 18-year-old student from Fairfax County, Virginia, named Steven Lee Snyder, has been apprehended on allegations of sexually assaulting a pregnant horse.
CCTV footage captured Snyder, reportedly seen forcing his fist into the mare’s vagina on two occasions in a stable located in Phuket, Thailand, first on February 5 and again on March 10. The distressing footage depicted Snyder using one hand to touch the horse’s genitals while holding his smartphone with the other.
The owners of the horse, Chatcharoj Lek-Awut, 50, and his wife Prapada, 43, expressed shock upon discovering the distress of their horse, Angun, upon their return from a trip on Sunday, March 10. Subsequently, authorities launched a search for the young man, culminating in his apprehension the following evening.
Reportedly, officers had to resort to Google Translate to communicate with Snyder, who was then escorted to his father, Sean, where the unsettling footage was shown to him.
In a video outside of their villa, the father can be heard saying: “This apparently isn’t the first time, he said that you have done this before.”
Prapada initially said she thought the teenager was normal and just wanted to visit and play with the horses. She says she reported the March 5 issue to the cops after she noted the way the boy stroked the horse, and now has said that the horse may have suffered damage during the incident on March 10.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Yuthaphon said: “Steven and his family are scheduled to meet with the horse owners at the station to discuss negotiations on March 16.
“There are medical expenses for the injured horse that the family may have to pay for. We will mediate between the two people to ensure that they are both happy with the outcome and it does not happen again.”
Prapada has since said she wants the teen to seek help and stop touching horses.
She said: “We first met him two years ago. He dropped by frequently to see the horses, so I thought he was just an animal lover. But I became suspicious of him when I saw how he caressed the horses.
“I found it strange. I tried to keep them away by taking them inside the stable. In the most recent case, my horse Angun is four months pregnant and she had discharge coming from her vagina. I knew something was amiss so I checked the CCTV. I believe he had done it before with a miniature horse who was pregnant and she miscarried.”
