A 38-year-old Port Charlotte woman faces a second-degree felony charge. She told investigators she was only petting the family dog and denies the allegation.

Date: 09/16/2026 | Location: Port Charlotte, Florida

A Punta Gorda woman was arrested Sept. 15 and charged with a second-degree felony after Charlotte County sheriff's detectives said home surveillance footage showed her engaged in sexual contact with the family dog — an allegation she denies. Malia Elizabeth Nummerdor, 38, was booked into the Charlotte County Jail on a charge of sexual activity involving animals under Florida Statute 828.126(2), with bond set at $35,000, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.

The case began Sept. 11, when detectives learned of public Facebook posts from Nummerdor's estranged husband, Erik Nummerdor, alleging that video showed his wife engaging in sexual acts with the family pet. Investigators said they contacted the person making the allegations, obtained sworn statements and collected digital evidence from a surveillance system inside the residence.

According to the arrest report, the husband told deputies he had installed two security cameras inside the home while trying to determine who was taking money from a coin container, and that everyone in the household knew the cameras were there. While reviewing recordings from a camera positioned in a bedroom, he allegedly came across footage involving Nummerdor and the dog. On Sept. 14, he met with deputies, provided screenshots and gave investigators access to the laptop where the footage was stored.

In the affidavit, a detective described the material: "I reviewed the images and observed an adult female, identified by Erik as Malia, nude from the waist down, positioned with the dog in a manner consistent with sexual activity." The sheriff's office said the video shows Nummerdor partially nude with the animal positioned in a manner consistent with sexual activity.

Florida law defines the offense directly. Under § 828.126(1), "sexual contact with an animal" means any act committed between a person and an animal for the purpose of sexual gratification, abuse, or financial gain which involves contact between the sex organ or anus of one and the mouth, sex organ, or anus of the other.

Deputies conducted a recorded interview with Nummerdor on Sept. 15. According to the sheriff's office, she acknowledged being the person in the footage and confirmed the dog was the family pet, but denied any sexual contact occurred — telling investigators she had only been petting or lying with the dog. Deputies said her explanations were inconsistent and that she could not provide a consistent account. The affidavit states she appeared impaired and acknowledged being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. She then requested an attorney, ending the interview, and was taken into custody.

Nummerdor also made counterclaims during questioning, according to the affidavit. She alleged the cameras were installed without her knowledge, that her husband accessed her social media accounts to post images and videos, and that he had previously threatened her with the videos. She said the recordings were made in 2024. The couple married in 2023, and public accounts describe her as a mother of two.

Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell condemned the alleged conduct in the office's public statement. The charge has not been proven in court, and prosecutors will be required to test the recording against Nummerdor's recorded interview and the husband's sworn statement. She is presumed innocent unless convicted.

The arrest is one of several animal-sexual-contact cases reported in Florida in recent months. In Pensacola, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested a 25-year-old Pensacola man, Bailey Hurst, on charges including 20 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, two counts of sexual activity involving animals, and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, according to a July 30 FDLE press release. In an earlier Lee County case, Samantha White, then 28, was arrested in February 2024 and later sentenced to three years in prison and three years of probation, with a no-animal-contact condition.