This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 65-year-old American Fork man has admitted to having sex with his neighbor's dog.
Melvin Parley Pace, 65, pleaded guilty in 4th District Court on Tuesday to three counts each of third-degree felony lewdness with a prior offense, class B misdemeanor bestiality and class B misdemeanor criminal trespass.
In exchange for his pleas, prosecutors dropped eight similar charges.
Pace faces up to five years in prison on each of the felony lewdness counts when he is sentenced Dec. 9 by Judge Derek Pullan.
This is the second time Pace has been charged with having sex with his neighbor's Kangal, a large Turkish dog breed.
In the first case, the dog's owners aimed a camera at the dog's run after the gate was left open in December 2013. The footage showed Pace enter the dog run and have sex with the dog, according to American Fork police Lt. Sam Liddiard.
In that case, Pace was charged with two counts each of bestiality, lewdness and criminal trespass, all class B misdemeanors. Pace pleaded guilty in February to two counts of lewdness and the other counts were dismissed. He received a suspended jail sentence and was placed on probation for 12 months.
This spring, the dog's run was again left open, so the owners reactivated the camera, according to charging documents.
The new footage showed Pace — who was still on probation in the first case — having sex with the dog on at least seven different occasions between May 20 and June 28, the charges add.
The dog run is in full view and hearing of two city streets, a business and neighboring homes, according to charges.