Deputy Fired for Creepy Messages to Teen

0:00A Pasco County Sheriff's Deputy and School Resource Officer got fired after sending creepy messages to a 13-year-old girl at Pinecrest Academy in Wesley Chapel, Florida. This 31-year-old guy, Justine Lopez Rodriguez, added her on Snapchat after she spotted him at school and things went from casual chats about, food in basketball, to straight-up flirtatious vibes that made her uncomfortable. For several weeks, their talks got weird, and on March 1, 2026, he hit her with a photo of a dead body in the woods. She peeked at a quick and bounced, then told him to back off when he said he was cruising by her house. The girl blocked him right away, feeling sketched out by the whole situation and reported it to detectives. When they grilled Lopez Rodriguez, he claimed the pic was meant for his wife, and he couldn't recall sending it to the team. Officers hit a snag because he deleted the Snapchat app from his phone, leading to a charge of tampering with physical evidence. The sheriff's office canned him on the spot, and this mess highlights how fast trust can

1:02shatter in these roles. Stay vigilant out there. From your city, powered by AI, this is Tampa Bay News Today. I'm Corey with The Story.