NEWS RELEASE

In mid July, 2014, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from the father of a seventeen year old female that his daughter had been contacted through Facebook by a twenty-eight year old male friend who solicited the girl for sex. Indian River County Sheriff’s Detective Jeremy Shepherd learned that the twenty-eight year old male friend, identified as David Rodriguez, is a uniformed patrol deputy with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

Rodriguez had known the girl for several years through martial arts tournaments they both attended. Detective Shepherd reviewed the Facebook correspondence and determined that it met the elements for lewd computer solicitation of a child. On Wednesday, July 23, Detective Shepherd traveled to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office where he interviewed Rodriguez, who admitted that he had contacted the girl for sex.

On Thursday, July 24, the Honorable Joe Wild signed an Indian River County warrant for Rodriguez for one count of lewd computer solicitation of a child. Detective Shepherd coordinated with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office for the surrender and arrest of Rodriguez last night. Rodriguez was booked into the Seminole County Jail on a $50,000.00 bond.

Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar stated, “We are grateful for the assistance and cooperation we have received from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Eslinger and his employees have shown that, like us, they are serious about policing the police. Detective Shepherd has had the arduous task of arresting a fellow law enforcement officer. We applaud his efforts and his work in this case.”