Illegal alien caught abusing donkey and goat

LOUISIANA -- A hands-on approach by Lafourche Parish detectives resulted in evidence that led to the arrest of a Larose man, who is accused of violating a strict social taboo as well as Louisiana law in Cut Off.

Mario Vasconcelos, 34, 140 E. 7th St., Larose is being held in lieu of $37,500 bond for allegedly copulating with a donkey and a goat.

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre said his deputies initially received a report of trespassing at a property on La. 3235.

Mario Vasconcelos

The investigation began in June when a Cut Off resident told deputies someone was trespassing on his property.

Detectives initiated an investigation and learned that a male suspect had entered a building on the property and was engaged in what authorities termed "crimes against nature."

A Sheriff's Office spokesman, Brennan Matherne, did not give specifics on how deputies came by that information other than to state it was part of the investigation.

A detective assigned to the case was charged with the task of collecting what authorities called "suspected human DNA evidence" from the goat and the donkey, both of which were female.

"The evidence was submitted to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for DNA analysis," a statement from Webre's office says. "Detectives were later advised that a DNA match had been obtained from the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which identified Mario Vasconcelos as the suspect. Detectives also learned Vasconcelos had a warrant for contempt of court stemming from a 2011 domestic abuse case."

Detectives spoke with Vasconcelos Saturday and he was taken into custody.

"During questioning, Vasconcelos admitted to four instances of copulating with livestock," the statement reads. Upon questioning by a reporter, Matherne said the acts were committed on one individual donkey and one individual goat.

He was taken to the Lafourche Parish jail and booked on four counts of Crimes Against Nature, simple burglary and on the outstanding warrant.

Judge John LeBlanc set the bond.

Vasconcelos is also being held for the US Immigrations and Customs Service.

"I want to applaud the efforts of the detectives on this case, as well as the lab analysts at the State Police Crime Lab," said Sheriff Webre. "Through their diligent and thorough work of gathering and analyzing the DNA evidence, we were able to identify and arrest the offender who ultimately confessed to these heinous crimes."

(KLFY - Aug 23 2013)