Former reality-TV swinger pleads guilty to child porn, animal abuse; trial pending on child-rape charge
Tony McCollister, a former star of A&E’s “Neighbors with Benefits,” pleaded guilty to multiple child-pornography and bestiality counts and will face a bench trial for allegedly drug-and-raping a five-year-old girl.
Tony McCollister, who appeared on the short-lived A&E series “Neighbors with Benefits,” and his partner Erica Lynne Grove were taken into custody in Ohio after law enforcement traced child-pornography to McCollister’s internet address. Over a six-month investigation, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office recovered thousands of explicit text messages, a disturbing video of the pair engaging in sexual activity with two dogs, and evidence that they drugged and raped a girl who was five at the time.
McCollister pleaded guilty to 13 counts of pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor and four counts of bestiality, while Grove was convicted of gross sexual contact, two counts of child endangerment and previously admitted to four bestiality counts. The couple faces sentencing in November, and a separate bench trial will determine McCollister’s liability for the alleged child-rape. Their case highlights the stark contrast between their televised swinger persona and the heinous crimes uncovered by investigators.
