AVENTURA, FLA. (WSVN) - - An Aventura veterinarian has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of bestiality and child pornography after investigators received a tip about his actions.
Prentiss Madden entered his plea to five federal counts of recording himself sexually abusing dogs and collecting thousands of photos and videos of child pornography.
“I mean, he sleep with dogs? And when you’re supposed to take care of dogs, and yeah, that’s crazy,” dog owner Joe Wesley said.
Residents in the area said they are familiar with and have previously placed their dogs in his care. They also said they were shocked about his plea.
“That’s insane,” dog owner Lucy Rayburg said. “That’s insane and disgusting and very sad. He pled guilty? Oh, my God, what is wrong with people?”
Investigators were alerted to Madden’s actions in May 2020 through a cyber tip. The tip led them to a Dropbox owned by Madden, and federal prosecutors said it contained years worth of sexually explicit material that ranged from child pornography to bestiality.
According to court documents, investigators traced GPS coordinates of the sexually explicit dog videos to Madden’s apartment and near Caring Hands Animal Hospital, where he worked.
Caring Hands Animal Hospital has released a statement on Madden’s plea that reads, in part, “This is a significant step forward for our family at the animal hospital, and the community as a whole, in the process of healing and closure … confidence that the court will render an appropriate sentence for the unthinkable crimes that Mr. Madden has plead to.”
7News has reached out to Madden’s attorney for comment, but we have not received a response.
Madden is set to be sentenced on Oct. 8. He faces a mandatory sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 87 years behind bars.
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