A Sarasota Police Department probationary officer has been fired after being arrested for kissing a 16-year-old girl, according to a probable cause affidavit and a press release from the SPD.
Gabriel Ornellas-Victorio, 38, was arrested on April 30 and charged with simple battery for intentionally striking another person against the will of the other. According to the probable cause affidavit, the victim told investigators the former officer knew she was a 16-year-old high school student, and also said he was married with a child.
Ornellas-Victorio was terminated following a criminal and internal investigation, which began after a complaint was received about the officer’s conduct off-duty. Ornellas-Victorio was placed on administrative leave on April 2, and after being placed on leave, a separate complaint was received by the SPD, which led to a criminal investigation.
Court documents show the victim told investigators she first met Ornellas-Victorio when he first came into her job. A court bail report indicates the girl worked at a downtown Sarasota restaurant.
The victim said she told Ornellas-Victorio she aspired to become a doctor. The former officer responded that he had served in the military and suggested she pursue becoming a military doctor, according to the affidavit.
The girl told investigators she looked up to the former officer as a mentor and said the first meeting was professional. They agreed to meet again at a Barnes and Noble on April 23. The girl said her mother drove her to the bookstore and waited in the car as she went inside, expecting they would have coffee. The former officer texted the girl and asked for her to come to his car, instead. She went because she trusted him, the affidavit said.
The victim told investigators Ornellas-Victorio suggested they go to Pure Vida on Tamiami Trail for a snack. She said her mother approved, and they stayed a short while, the affidavit stated. On the way back to Barnes and Noble he said he wished she had been 18 years old, and that it would be easier if they were in Brazil. She told investigators she began to feel uncomfortable and wanted to get out.
At Barnes and Noble, she told investigators Ornellas-Victorio parked where her mother could not see them. He gave her a side hug with his right arm and then pulled her towards him, the affidavit said. According to the victim, Ornellas-Victorio kissed her several times on her cheek, then grabbed her face with his fingers and kissed her lips against her will. She said she pushed Ornellas-Victorio away, jumped out of his car and told her mother.
Ornellas-Victorio had been with the SPD for 18 months before being fired.
“This decision reflects our commitment to integrity and transparency,” SPD Chief Rex Troche said in a statement. “The trust of our community is earned, and we will protect it. When someone violates the law and trust is placed in them, there is no path forward with our agency.”
Anyone who has been in contact with Ornellas-Victorio is asked to call Detective Megan Buck of the Criminal Investigations Division at 941-263-6067.
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota officer fired after kissing 16-year-old girl, police say
Reporting by Chris Anderson, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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