PASCO COUNTY, Fla. – A Pasco County Sheriff’s deputy is out of a job and off a local school campus after he was accused of sending a Snapchat photo of a dead body to a 13-year-old student. While the criminal case against 32-year-old Justine Lopez-Rodriguez was dropped in court this week, the incident has already ended his career in law enforcement.
Lopez-Rodriguez was arrested on March 13 and hit with a felony charge of evidence tampering. The arrest followed a report from a student at Pinecrest Academy Wesley Chapel, where Lopez-Rodriguez worked as a school resource officer.
The girl told school officials that the deputy added her on Snapchat earlier this year. According to an arrest affidavit, their messages started out casual, covering topics like basketball and working out.
Things took a dark turn on March 1. The student told investigators that Lopez-Rodriguez sent her an image of “what appeared to be a body lying on the ground in a wooded area.”
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She described the photo in detail, noting a rib cage and clothing that included a red shirt and blue pants. Detectives quickly realized the description matched a “skeletal remains investigation” where Lopez-Rodriguez had served as the primary deputy on the scene.
When investigators questioned him, Lopez-Rodriguez admitted he was at the scene of the body and had taken photos. He claimed he sent one to his wife but told authorities he couldn’t remember if he sent it to the student, though he “acknowledged that it was possible.”
The evidence tampering charge was tied to Lopez-Rodriguez deleting the Snapchat app from his phone. Investigators believed he did this specifically because he knew a criminal probe was beginning. The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office moved quickly, firing him immediately after his arrest.
On Thursday, court records indicated the case was officially dropped. No specific reason for the dismissal was provided in the filings. Though he won’t face further prosecution, the former deputy remains removed from his position at the school and the sheriff’s office.
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