School resource officer accused of sending Snapchat of 'skeletal remains' to 13-year-old student loses job, but won't face further punishment

A Florida bull mislaid his occupation arsenic a sheriff's lawman and schoolhouse assets serviceman aft being accused of taking a Snapchat photograph of "skeletal remains" and sending it to a 13-year-old student. He won't look immoderate further punishment, according to tribunal records.

Justine Lopez-Rodriguez, 32, was arrested connected March 13 and charged with felony grounds tampering successful transportation with the dormant assemblage photo. The lawsuit was dropped Thursday, but not earlier it led to Lopez-Rodriguez being removed from his presumption and information item occupation astatine Pinecrest Academy Wesley Chapel, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

A spokesperson told the paper that Lopez-Rodriguez, who worked arsenic a lawman with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, was instantly fired aft his arrest.

The pupil allegedly came guardant and told schoolhouse officials that Lopez-Rodriguez added her connected the Snapchat app "sometime successful precocious January 2026 oregon February 2026" and began messaging the girl, according to an apprehension affidavit viewed by Law&Crime.

"The juvenile stated she had archetypal seen the suspect astatine school, wherever helium was contiguous successful his capableness arsenic a instrumentality enforcement officer, and aboriginal realized the aforesaid idiosyncratic had added her connected Snapchat," the affidavit said. "The juvenile stated the communications continued implicit a play of weeks and occurred regularly. The juvenile described the conversations arsenic initially involving wide topics specified arsenic food, basketball, moving out, and different casual discussion."

On March 1, Lopez-Rodriguez allegedly messaged the miss a photograph "depicting what appeared to beryllium a assemblage lying connected the crushed successful a wooded area," according to the affidavit.

"She described seeing a river, and described seeing a rib cage and clothing, including what she recalled arsenic a reddish garment and bluish pants," the papers alleged. "The juvenile stated the representation appeared to beryllium taken during the daytime and successful a forested area."

Based connected the girl's statement of the representation and the day received, constabulary investigators "recognized the scene" that she described arsenic being accordant with a caller "skeletal remains investigation," per the affidavit. Investigators allegedly knew that Lopez-Rodriguez had been contiguous during the archetypal instrumentality enforcement effect and was the "primary deputy" astatine the scene.

Lopez-Rodriguez was asked astir the representation involving the quality remains. He stated that helium had told the miss helium was astatine a telephone involving a body, but helium initially denied sending immoderate photographs of the remains, according to the affidavit. Investigators allegedly requested to look astatine Lopez-Rodriguez's telephone and 3 photos were recovered connected it of the assemblage successful question.

"When confronted with the images the suspect admitted that helium had taken the photographs and stated that helium had sent a skeletal remains representation to his wife," the affidavit alleged. "The suspect further stated that helium could not callback whether helium had sent the images to the juvenile but acknowledged that it was imaginable the juvenile whitethorn person received the images."

Lopez-Rodriguez allegedly admitted to deleting the Snapchat app from his phone. As a result, helium was arrested and charged with grounds tampering "based connected the timing of the deletion" and his "knowledge that a transgression probe was underway" astir the assemblage photos, according to the affidavit.

Court records amusement that Lopez-Rodriguez's lawsuit was dropped Thursday, but a crushed is not listed. He had been retired connected bail.