Shock was the only word that came to mind when Flagler Humane Society's director received a compact disc with photos, some showing a woman having sex with a teenage girl and in others, the woman having sex with a dog.
D. Maldonado Carla Maldonado, 40, a Flagler Humane Society employee at the time, and her husband, David Maldonado, 42, of Palm Coast were charged Tuesday in the acts against the girl, which investigators say occurred four years ago.
The Humane Society fired Carla Maldonado but has no recourse to protect the dog she adopted from the shelter.
Director Donna Howard received the CD late in the day on Nov. 6 from an anonymous a person who had access to the Maldonados' home computer and copied the images from it, investigators said. Howard fired Carla Maldonado -- a veterinarian technician and nine-year employee of the shelter -- the next day. Howard then turned the pictures over to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.
"We're a pretty close-knit group here," Howard said Wednesday of her staff of 16. "We had no inkling this was coming."
The CD contained 16 pictures of Carla Maldonado with the girl, who was 15 years old then, according to a sheriff's report. There were also 27 images of Carla Maldonado in sex acts with her German shepherd, the report states.
Carla Maldonado never denied to Howard doing any of the things photographed, the report states. Howard said the employee told her it, "happened on one drunken night," according to the report.
Sexual acts with the girl occurred Feb. 2, 2005, the report states.
David Maldonado was the photographer, according to investigators. He and Carla (Jones) Maldonado were married April 20, court records show.
Both provided the teenager alcohol and encouraged her participation, according to investigators. Now 19, the young woman has been interviewed by investigators and confirmed she was the person in the pictures.
But the dates on the images indicate sex with the dog took place over a period of months, Howard said.
"She referred to it as a joke," Howard said.
Carla Maldonado had no prior arrest record, but David Maldonado has convictions for misdemeanor battery and contempt of court.
They were charged with lewd and lascivious battery and contributing to the deliquency of a minor. The couple were taken Wednesday to the Flagler County Inmate Facility. He was released on $15,000 bail and she was released on $10,000 bail. The couple could not be reached for comment.
The German shepherd and two other dogs owned by the Maldonados and adopted from the Flagler Humane Society have not been confiscated.
"There are no laws against (bestiality in Florida)," Howard said. "We can't take the dogs back. We need to write our legislators and other powers that be -- the mayor, the City Council, anybody who will listen."
Sexual abuse of animals is not permitted in 34 states, but bestiality is legal in Florida. A proposal to outlaw sexual activity involving animals was unanimously approved by the state Sentate's Justice Committee during the past year's session but did not make it through the full Florida Legislature.
Animal cruelty charges were not filed against the couple.
"Animal cruelty (is charged) if the animal was injured or under duress," said Flagler County sheriff's spokeswoman Debra Johnson.
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