LAFFERTY, Ohio – A Lafferty man is being held without bond in the Belmont County Jail after being arrested Saturday for allegedly having sexual contact with a neighbor’s dog.

John Paskel, 52, of 70204 Irwin St. was arrested Saturday and charged with cruelty to animals and a probation violation after he was reportedly seen having sex with the animal at a Lafferty residence.

Paskel is being held on $100 bond on the animal cruelty charge, but there is no bond on his alleged probation violation. According to Ohio’s sexual-offender registry, eSORN, Paskel is a registered, sexually oriented offender with an attempted rape conviction.

According to the registry, Paskel was released on probation from the Belmont County Correctional Institution in April 2004, after having been sentenced in 1993.

At 10:42 a.m. Saturday, a caller at an unspecified Lafferty residence reported catching Paskel having sex with the dog on both Friday and Saturday. The caller said the dog’s owners were out of town, and the alleged incidents took place at their residence. She said her husband went outside Saturday and yelled at Paskel before he allegedly ran from the scene. Paskel was taken into custody at his home later that day.

On Monday, Belmont County Animal Shelter Director Verna Painter said she had no knowledge of the allegations against Paskel. She also said she cannot recall any similar allegations being reported to the Belmont County Animal Shelter. Painter noted that the dog in this alleged incident was likely injured.

”I can’t imagine the animal will be in good shape,” Painter said. ”We haven’t had to investigate anything like that. I don’t know what to say. Obviously, we would first make sure the dog was taken care of and checked by a vet. Apparently, the police have taken care of that.”