By Some disturbing news came out Miami, FL late last week. Veterinarian Prentiss Madden, 40, appeared in court after the authorities raided his home where they found evidence of child pornography and images of him sexually abusing a dog. He is now being held pending a bond hearing.
The scandal has shaken the community to its core, and pet owners and residents are still in shock after learning what Madden was doing behind the scenes.
Disturbing Videos
Madden had been a respected veterinarian in south Florida. He worked as the medical director of Caring Hands Animal Hospital in the Miami area.
But things took a turn when the file-sharing web service DropBox notified the authorities that there was a user with more than 1,600 files of suspected child porn.
The police traced the IP address to Madden’s home in Aventura, according to a criminal complaint. Homeland Security agents then raided his home on February 24th and found files and social media chat conversations of Madden openly discussing the sexual abuse of animals and children. In one chat, Madden seems to be bragging about a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy from Orlando, FL. There was also photographic and video evidence of Madden committing bestiality.
“I was keeping a dog that needed a home,” he allegedly wrote in one chat.
The Caring Hands Animal Hospital quickly fired Madden when they learned of the investigation.
One of the videos seems to have been recorded at the veterinarian clinic. “This leads me to believe that Madden may be abusing animals entrusted to his care,” Homeland Security Agent Leah Ortiz wrote in the complaint.
The clinic released a statement saying they were “appalled by the nature of the charges” against Madden. “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,” they added.
Madden is being charged with receiving and distributing child pornography and “animal crushing,” under the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, which prohibits depictions of cruelty to animals to satisfy a crush fetish. This appears to be the first time someone has been charged under the law in south Florida. The charge is punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Waking Up to a Nightmare
Local animal rescuer Lindsay Donzanti says she repeatedly trusted Madden with her pets and that she had recommended him to dozens of people in the area.
“I didn’t sleep a wink last night running it through my mind,” Donzanti said. “I’m outraged and I am saddened. I can’t even say I was gullible but there were no signs, no signs whatsoever.”
“I have known this vet ever since this place opened and I have promoted him so much because as I say I am an animal rescuer and I have told so many people about him because I was so happy with him. So when I heard what happened I was outraged, saddened, and in total disbelief,” she later added.
She says Madden didn’t let on that he had a dark side. “He was the kindest, sweetest person. That’s why it is so inconceivable. He had a really soft manner. You could see he treated the animals with love.”
The vet also had positive reviews online, including this comment on Yelp, “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.”
Madden’s arraignment is set for March 31st. His name no longer appears outside the Caring Animals Hospital in Miami.
