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November 30, 2005, 10:02 PM EST

Man Pleads Guilty in Horse-Sex Case

SEATTLE -- A man has pleaded guilty to trespassing in connection with a fatal horse-sex case. James Michael Tait, 54, of Enumclaw, was accused of entering a barn without the owner's permission. Tait admitted to officers that he entered a neighboring barn last July with friend Kenneth Pinyan to have sex with a horse . . . Tait was videotaping the episode when Pinyan suffered internal injuries that led to his death.

Why did James Michael Tait plead guilty? Legal experts enumerate many reasons Mr. Tait could have won this case with a bold and innovative legal defense. Many experts who know very little about the actual details of the matter agree that Mr. Tait not only could have won that case, but may have suffered compensable damages!

Among the reasons cited:

• Trespassing? Or lead to the scene of the crime! Framed, perhaps? I guess we will never know. But it should be noted that Mr. Pinyan had visited this same horse before. Therefore, it is assumed that the horse must have given prior consent to enter his domain.
  

• Mr. Tait, as any reasonable man might have done, videotaped the session. Indeed, he did. Who wouldn't?
  

• Mr. Tait is referred to by his three names - James Michael Tait. Only assassins are referred to in such matters - James Earl Ray, Lee Harvey Oswald, etc. Surely, this would have biased any jury.
  

• Mr. Tait was from Enumclaw. Enumclaw only has a crime rate of about 4%! There's lots of folks getting away with much worse, like larceny, etc. After all, Mr. Tait merely videotaped the event. He did not participate in the event. To whit, he did not engage in sexual conduct with the horse, nor did he coerce his friend to do so. Mr. Tait posed no threat to anyone, yet was coerced into a guilty confession by zealous police officers looking to make the papers.
  

• Nobody goes into a barn in July: it's just too hot. This speaks to reasonable doubt.
  

• What kind of name is Pinyan, anyway? It sounds weird - like, perhaps he forced Mr. Tait to videotape him with the horse.
  

• It is impossible to conceive that the man could have received a trial by a jury of his peers. Moreover, it is equally impossible to conceive the prosecution could have put together an unbiased jury. Impossible!
  

• Internal injuries? How do we know the horse caused the injuries. And, more important, how can we prosecute a man for injuries caused by a horse to another man?
  

• Perhaps the most interesting fact is this: NO WITNESSES! If there were NO WITNESSES, why would Mr. Tait plead guilty to such a minor infraction - if an infraction at all?

So, in this writer's opinion: HORSE FEATHERS! There's shenanigans going on in Enumclaw, and this writer will not rest until justice is done!

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