A Florida police officer has been fired amid allegations of sexual misconduct involving a teenage runaway.
Bobby Lubrido was recently let go as a corporal with the New Port Richey Police Department, according to the Miami Herald. The allegations against the 43-year-old former officer stem from an incident on the night of July 13, when he was tasked with transporting a 17-year-old teenage runaway to a juvenile assessment center.
The teen girl later told investigators that while she was in Lubrido's custody, he allegedly engaged in highly inappropriate behavior, including making sexual comments and fondling parts of her body. At one point during the car ride, she said, he also looked through her phone for explicit photographs.
The latter incident occurred after the girl, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, passed Lubrido her phone after asking if he could charge it for her. A short time later, Lubrido asked for her phone's passcode, which she provided under the assumption that he had "legitimate reason" to open her device, the Herald reported.
Lubrido then allegedly began looking through photos and videos, eventually finding a video of the girl dancing. While watching, he allegedly made inappropriate comments about the girl's body. Afterward, the girl said that Lubrido allegedly opened her Snapchat app and found a topless photo that she had taken of herself. She said that he spent a considerable amount of time looking at the photo and eventually took a photo of the screen with his own phone. While distracted, Lubrido crashed his vehicle into a deer. This accident was captured on the car's dashcam.
Upon returning to the car, the girl said that Lubrido's conduct became more inappropriate. The teen said that she responded with similar comments, hoping that doing so would convince him to let her go. Later, while stopped, Lubrido allegedly fondled her buttocks and breasts after offering her half of a sandwich. Some time after that, he allegedly suggested a threesome with the girl and her mother.
"I really wish I was off the clock right now," Lubrido said, according to the teen. "We could... have fun together."
Lubrido has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct, despite evidence backing up multiple claims made by the teen. While admitting to "breaking protocol" in some regards, he denied doing "anything immoral or illegal." He was ultimately terminated by New Port Richey Police Chief Kim Bogart after Internal Affairs ended their investigation.
The department has not commented on potential criminal charges, as the overall investigation remains ongoing. Lubrido had been with the department for five years and had no prior disciplinary issues, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Newsweek reached out to the New Port Richey Police for comment.
New Port Richey is a suburb located roughly 38 miles northwest of Tampa on Florida's Gulf Coast. It has a population of over 16,000.
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