Michigan State University physicist charged with bestiality

Matt Mencarini | Lansing State Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Michigan State University physicist charged with bestiality A Michigan State University health physicist has allegedly committed bestiality on a basset hound.

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Attorney General's Office has charged a Michigan State University physicist for allegedly penetrating a dog with both his hand and penis, according to a news release.

Joseph Hattey, 51, of Holt, Michigan, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. An arrest warrant was approved Monday on two counts of sodomy for committing a crime against nature (bestiality). An arraignment is expected later Monday.

The Attorney General's Office said in the release that Hattey, a Michigan State University employee, is not alleged to have conducted the acts on campus or with an animal owned by the university.

He was arraigned on charges Monday afternoon and Magistrate Mark Blumer set a $5,000 personal recognizance bond, meaning Hattey could be released without posting any money.

"These are merely allegations that have not been proven," Hattey's attorney, Alexander Rusek, said. "Mr. Hattey pleaded not guilty in court today and looks forward to addressing the fact of the matter during the preliminary examination."

A preliminary hearing, which will determine if there's enough evidence for Hattey to stand trial, has been set for June 21.

The charges stem from an investigation by Ingham County (Michigan) Animal Control in conjunction with the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office, according to the release.

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The Attorney General's Office said the dog, a basset hound, has been removed from harm and is currently in the custody of Ingham County Animal Control.

Hattey, according to the university's website, is a health physicist within the university's Environmental Health and Safety office. He was previously assigned duties within the university's Veterinarian Diagnostic Laboratory.

Messages left seeking comment from Michigan State University, the Sheriff's Office and Ingham County Animal Control were not immediately returned.

Hattey is the latest Michigan State University employee to face criminal charges.

In March, it was announced that the former dean of the university's College of Osteopathic Medicine, William Derkey Strampel, 70, faced charges that accused him of groping a student and storing pornographic images on his computer. Strampel oversaw disgraced former doctor Larry Nassar's clinic.

In 2017, Nassar pleaded guilty to three child pornography charges prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan and 10 sexual assault charges that were prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office. The Michigan State University Police Department led the investigations. Nassar is serving a 60-year sentence in a federal prison in Arizona.

He also was sentenced in January to 40 to 175 years in prison on state charges in Ingham County and in February to 40 to 125 years in prison on state charges in Eaton County, Michigan.

Contributing: Christopher Haxel, Lansing (Mich.) State Journal. Follow Matt Mencarini on Twitter: @MattMencarini

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