A Suffolk man has been arrested following indictment on numerous counts of crimes against nature and bestiality.

Richard Allen Patterson, 48, is charged with six counts of crimes against nature — bestiality/carnally know any brute animal, six counts of animal cruelty and three counts of revocation of suspended sentence.

The investigation on Patterson and his wife, Christina Danielle Patterson, 42, began on July 31, 2017. The two lived in the 2400 block of Freeman Mill Road.

A search warrant involving Richard Patterson’s business, Imperial K-9 LLC, was executed by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The agency was seeking evidence that Patterson, a convicted felon, had firearms in his possession.

A subsequent search of computers from the residence revealed videos of the couple engaged in acts of bestiality with a dog, according to a city press release.

The bestiality charges were investigated by the Suffolk Police Department.

Christina Patterson was arrested on the bestiality charges in October 2018. Local authorities were waiting for the process of Patterson’s federal charges to be complete before charging him with crimes against nature.

Richard Patterson has been in custody at Western Tidewater Regional Jail on the federal charges, and remains there.

In July, Christina Patterson was sentenced to 12 months in prison and six months of house arrest for helping her husband possess firearms after he was convicted of a felony and attempting to obstruct the investigation against him.

In November, Richard Patterson was sentenced to 100 months on two federal charges, possessing a firearm while a convicted felon and obstruction of justice. Other federal charges were not prosecuted as part of a plea agreement.

A trial in Suffolk Circuit Court is set for March 1 on Christina Patterson’s charges. Richard Patterson’s first court appearance on the new local charges will be Feb. 6.