Couple accused of having sex with dog plead guilty

A onetime Aurora couple have pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges for having sex with their dog in a homemade chamber in their backyard.

As part of the plea agreement, the dog’s owner has forfeited custody.

Bubba, a male Akita mix, is living at the Aurora Animal Shelter, where he will undergo a behavioral assessment before authorities decide the next appropriate steps to take with him, according to a news release from the Arapahoe County District Attorney’s Office.

Frederick Manzanares, 51, will be sentenced Oct. 16 after pleading guilty to two counts of animal cruelty. He faces up to 18 months in jail on each count, the news release said.

His exgirlfriend, Janette Solano, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of animal cru elty, the news release said. She negotiated a deferred judgment and sentence, and a judge will decide whether to accept the plea deal duringaSept.17hearing.

The Aurora Police Department launched its investigation into the bestiality after Solano called police in March 2017 to report a domestic violence incident. When an officer met Solano at a gas station, she told him that she and Manzanares had only argued, and she was leaving him because he had been pressuring her into having sex with their dog, Bubba.

During the investigation, police discovered a motor homeatthecouple’shouse where Manzanares had built a customized bench with red padding to facilitate sex acts with the dog, according to an arrest affidavit. He used hormone spray to arouse the dog and took pictures and videos of the sex acts, according to the affidavit.