Who is Prentiss Madden? Florida veterinarian who allegedly had sex with dogs and possessed child porn arrested
AVENTURA, FLORIDA: Florida authorities arrested a veterinarian on Tuesday following accusations that he possessed child pornography and sexually abused dogs. 40-year-old Prentiss Madden, former medical director of Caring Hands Animal Hospital in Aventura, was taken into custody on charges of possession of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and animal abuse. He's currently being held at Miami's Federal Detention Center, Miami Herald reported.
A judge ordered on Wednesday that Madden be held until at least Friday, when another hearing is scheduled to determine whether he can be released from custody to await trial.
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Madden was listed as the medical director on the hospital's website. However, his profile was taken down after news of his arrest grabbed local headlines. The hospital said in a statement on Wednesday that it had fired Madden two weeks ago upon learning he was being probed for “these heinous and unthinkable crimes.”
“Our legal team and every single member of the Caring Hands family will be doing everything in our power to aid law enforcement and facilitate their investigation and prosecution,” the statement read.
That said, Madden is being charged under a new federal law that outlaws animal abuse. The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump in 2019, came in response to a "genre of cruelty in which people video record the harming of animals for the sexual gratification of viewers," and makes the production of such videos punishable by up to seven years in prison, per Miami Herald.
The investigation into Madden reportedly began after authorities received a cyber tip from popular file-sharing web service Dropbox, where a user had reportedly received over 1,600 files of suspected child pornography, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Wednesday.
The files were eventually traced back to Madden's home, which was raided on February 24 by agents from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HIS). Agents seized his phones and a computer, and later came across private social media chats in which he is said to have discussed “the sexual abuse of animals and children.” One of the chats allegedly saw Madden brag about having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy from Orlando, per Miami Herald.
According to the criminal complaint, Madden had a number of photos and videos "depicting bestiality" and these files were digitally coded as having been snapped or recorded at his home.
Madden reportedly shared graphic images in his chat and admitted in detail to having sex with and abusing dogs, per the complaint. “I was keeping a dog that needed a home,” he allegedly wrote in one chat. Meanwhile, another explicit video is believed to have been recorded at the Helping Hands animal hospital in May 2018. “This leads me to believe that Madden may be abusing animals entrusted to his care,” HSI Agent Leah Ortiz noted in the complaint.
Who is Prentiss Madden?
Madden is an Alabama native and graduated from the Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine, per his vet clinic bio. “Dr. Madden is the proud pet parent of one Shih Tzu, Lucky, and two Burmese pythons, Mocha and Sherbert. In his free time he enjoys traveling, eating, hiking, snorkeling, and being an aquarium hobbyist,” the bio read in part.
That said, the now-disgraced veterinarian has also received praise online for his services. “Dr. Madden is incredible and a very empathetic vet. He listens to us and really makes me feel safe when putting my dog’s health in his hands,” one client wrote on Yelp, according to Miami Herald.