Bluffton man arrested, charged for sexual conduct with family dog

BLUFFTON, S.C. (WTOC) - A Bluffton man is behind bars after an alleged January 2026 incident involving sexual conduct with a dog.

Bluffton police arrested Patrick Joseph Fox, 39, of Bluffton, and charged him with buggery (S.C. Code of Laws § 16-15-120). Buggery is defined as sexual misconduct with humans or with animals. The charge is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Police said in February the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force got a tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that started the investigation into Fox. On Oct. 7, members of the Bluffton Police Department, along with members of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Task Force, executed a search warrant at Fox’s home in The Landings at New Riverside neighborhood.

Fox was arrested and charged with buggery stemming from an incident earlier this year in January involving his family dog. Bluffton police confirmed the initial investigation into Fox involved internet crimes against children and that investigation is still active. Fox was taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center without incident.

The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.