Courtesy: Sarasota Police Department
SARASOTA, Fla. - Sarasota police arrested a probationary police officer after he was accused of kissing a 16-year-old girl.
Gabriel Ornellas-Victorio, 38, was arrested on Thursday for battery. The same day, he was terminated from his job.
This investigation has spanned over several weeks after a complaint was filed about Ornellas-Victorio's behavior while off duty.
While Ornellas-Victorio was on administrative leave, another complaint was filed which led to the criminal investigation.
The backstory:
Court documents detail the 16-year-old victim told investigators that she met Ornellas-Victorio when he came into her job. She said he put his number into her contacts in case she needed anything.
The victim said that she would talk to Ornellas-Victorio about her aspirations of becoming a doctor, and he told her he knew a lot of them and could give her guidance.
She added Ornellas-Victorio was previously in the military, and he would talk to her about military service as a doctor.
She told investigators she looked up to Ornellas-Victorio as a police officer and a mentor.
Timeline:
After two months of meeting him, she said Ornellas-Victorio wanted to meet her outside of her work to talk about college plans and military options.
They met for the first time, and she said Ornellas-Victorio was very professional.
They agreed to meet again at a store in Sarasota on April 23 after Ornellas-Victorio canceled twice.
She said her mother drove her there and waited in the car. However, Ornellas-Victorio texted her asking for her to come to his car. She did because she said she trusted him.
During that time, the victim told investigators Ornellas-Victorio said he wished she had been 18 years old, that it would be easier if they were in Brazil and that she couldn't tell anyone about them meeting up.
That's when she began feeling uncomfortable.
Dig deeper:
She said Ornellas-Victorio gave her a side hug with his right arm, and she was frozen. She explained to detectives that he pulled her toward him, making her face him.
She told investigators that she was frightened and didn't know what to do.
That's when she said Ornellas-Victorio gave her kisses on her cheek, and he grabbed her face with his fingers and kissed her lips, which she did not want to happen.
She said she pushed Ornellas-Victorio off, jumped out of the car and went to tell her mother. But, only included the kiss on the cheek.
She then told investigators that she wanted to pursue charges because of her age, Ornellas-Victorio's age, and the fact she was worried about her safety because he was a law enforcement officer.
What they're saying:
The Sarasota Police Department said based on the probable cause developed during the criminal investigation, Ornelas-Victorio is no longer employed with the department. He had been with them for one and a half years.
"This decision reflects our commitment to integrity and transparency. The trust of our community is earned, and we will protect it," said Chief Rex Troche. "When someone violates the law and trust placed in them, there is no path forward with our agency."
SPD explained that the charges stem from the criminal investigation, but the internal investigation continues.
What you can do:
The Sarasota Police Department is asking anyone who had contact with Ornellas-Victorio to call Detective Megan Buck of the Criminal Investigations Division.
The number is 941-263-6067.
The Source: FOX 13 gathered the information for this story from court documents and information provided by the Sarasota Police Department.