TRINITY, Fla. – A Pasco County deputy was fired and arrested Friday on multiple charges, including unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
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Pasco deputy arrested
What we know:
Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco announced Corporal Donald Valverde was arrested after an underage victim came forward with “horrendous” allegations against the deputy. Nocco called the victim, who deputies said was under 18 years old, was extremely brave for coming forward, and urged any other potential victims to do the same.
Nocco said during the Friday news conference that deputies began investigating this week after the victim came forward. Investigators said Valverde and the victim had a “custodial relationship” and were known to each other.
The victim told detectives that this had happened over a “lengthy period of time,” according to Nocco.
Pictured: Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco during Friday’s news conference.
Valverde is now facing two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation as well as unlawful sexual activity with a minor, according to PSO.
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Dig deeper:
Valverde has been with the sheriff’s office since 2015 and spent time in the patrol division before being transferred to a logistical division within the department. However, Nocco said he was “not a stellar deputy.”
Valverde had been under investigation before for “domestic situations,” but Nocco said he couldn’t be terminated because of the lack of evidence.
Sheriff’s office investigation
What we don’t know:
Authorities have not released the identity of the victim or specified the exact timeline of the alleged acts. Officials have also not disclosed details regarding previous domestic situation investigations involving Valverde, though Nocco noted he was previously not terminated due to a lack of evidence.
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