Former Florida Juvenile Detention Officer Accused of Sexual Battery on a Girl He Met While She Was Detained

A former officer at the Pasco Juvenile Detention Center in Florida has been arrested and charged with sexual battery involving a girl who had been held at the facility, WFLA reported. According to an arrest report described by the station, he was employed at the detention center between early August and mid-September 2026, and developed a personal relationship with the juvenile while she was detained there.

WFLA reported that the report alleges he knew the girl was a runaway who had removed a court-issued ankle monitor, and that after her release on Sept. 14 she contacted him and he drove her from St. Petersburg to his home in Wesley Chapel, where investigators allege the two had sex twice. According to the station, the girl described tattoos, personal characteristics and details about his residence to the Pasco Sheriff's Office that investigators said she would not have known otherwise.

Two witnesses gave accounts consistent with the girl's, WFLA reported — one describing the pickup and communications before and after the alleged encounter, and another saying the girl told them about unprotected sex with the former officer. The station reported that he was due to report for work the following day and was arrested and charged with sexual battery. The allegations have not been tested in court.