A Pasco County sheriff’s deputy was arrested in March after investigators began probing whether he sent a photograph of a dead body to a 13-year-old student at a Wesley Chapel charter school. The deputy, Justine Lopez Rodriguez, later admitted to deleting the Snapchat app he used to communicate with the girl, according to an arrest report. The case has quickly become a flashpoint for parents and school officials trying to understand what happened and how.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, the investigation centers on whether Rodriguez sent the image to the student, and his admission to removing the app was documented in an arrest record. The Times reports the student is a 13-year-old girl who attends Pinecrest Academy in Wesley Chapel and that the deputy was taken into custody last month. The outlet notes its reporting is based on arrest records and that public filings of criminal charges were not listed in those documents.
School at the center of the inquiry
Pinecrest Academy Wesley Chapel is a charter campus in Wesley Chapel. The school’s website lists its location on State Road 54 along with general contact information. Federal education data indicate the school serves elementary and middle grade students. School officials did not immediately issue a public statement to media about the investigation, leaving families to wait for official word while the case unfolds.
What the arrest report says
The arrest report obtained by the Tampa Bay Times states that Rodriguez “admitted deleting the Snapchat app” he had used to communicate with the student. As summarized by the Times, that admission helped prompt authorities to take the deputy into custody in March while investigators continued to examine digital evidence. Public excerpts from the record do not explain where the photograph originated or connect it to any separate homicide investigation, leaving a key piece of the story opaque for now.
What happens next
Investigators and prosecutors must review the material before deciding whether to file charges, and the case remains an active investigation. It is not yet clear from public records whether the image came from a department-issued device or a personal phone. Parents and community leaders are likely to push for more clarity as officials sort through the evidence.
The Pasco Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and prosecutors had not filed public court documents at the time this article was published. This story will be updated as new records or official statements become available.
