Wisconsin: Sterling Rachwal, 53, has been raping animals for more than 20 years. He's been caught doing it again, say police

WISCONSIN -- A man with a prior conviction for sexually assaulting horses has been booked into the Brown County Jail on new charges.

Jail records show Sterling Rachwal, 53, was booked Monday on recommended charges of Mistreatment of Animals/Cause Death; Sexual Gratification with an Animal; and Burglary.

The Brown County Sheriff's Office would not say if the arrest was tied to the sexual abuse of a horse at a Green Bay barn earlier this year.

As Action 2 News reported in February, a barn owner checked on her horse and found it had been molested. The animal's rectum was bleeding.

The Sheriff's Office told Action 2 News that it was investigating the case, but no arrests had been made at the time.

Rachwal is expected to appear in court Monday afternoon.

Court records show Rachwal's history of animal abuse in Wisconsin.

In 1993, Rachwal was convicted of mistreating animals and having sexual relations with them in Monroe County. He was sentenced to serve 14 years in prison, but asked to withdraw his no contest pleas. A court of appeals ruled in his favor.

In 1997, Rachwal was found not guilty due to mental disease/defect for a charge of Mistreatment of Animals in Waupaca County. He was sent to Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison.

In 2008, he was released from Mendota and he moved to Fond du Lac County.

In 2010, he was charged with disorderly conduct in Fond du Lac County after he was found inside a barn, allegedly wearing latex gloves.

Rachwal was found guilty of disorderly conduct and sent back to Mendota. He was released from the institute in 2015.

(NBC15 - May 3, 2017)