Louisiana- Police in St. Gabriel have released surveillance tape that appears to show a man engaged in bestiality with a horse. Police have asked 9NEWS to air portions of the tape in hopes they can identify the man.

St. Gabriel Police Chief Kevin Ambeau says in all his 20 years in law enforcement, he’s never come across a case like the one he’s investigating now. “We gotta catch this guy, he needs help,” Ambeau says while shaking his head.

The owners of a local barn approached Chief Ambeau with surveillance video showing what appears to be a light haired young man engaging in sexual activities with a small horse. “What I saw on the tape, I still can’t believe,” Ambeau says.

The police investigation began about two months ago after the owners of the barn reported finding sexual paraphernalia in a horse stall, according to Ambeau. The chief says that’s when the owner put up two cameras and captured images of a slender, light skinned man walking between two stables.

“Always [going] to the same animal,” Ambeau observed. “On the tape, he was [going] to the same animal performing sexual acts.”

The video clearly shows the young man wearing either slippers or flip-flops. That leads the police chief to believe his suspect is a local. “I think he’s in walking distance and I think once we show his face, somebody will give us a call and tell us where he is.”

At Chief Ambeau’s request, WAFB 9NEWS brightened and stilled frames of video showing the man with the horse. WAFB 9NEWS chose not to show moving video of the man with the horse.

Ambeau asks that if you know who is in the pictures, that you call St. Gabriel Police at (225) 642-5222. If the man is caught, police say he’ll be charged with crime against nature. If convicted, the suspect would face a fine of up to $2000 and up to five years in prison.