A Peekskill Police Department employee allegedly travelled to meet with who he believed was a minor, but in reality, was a part of a sting operation.
Peekskill parking enforcement officer Victor Ortiz, 44, of Yonkers was arrested in Florida on Aug. 22 and charged with traveling to meet a minor for unlawful sexual activity.
A charging affidavit from the Osceola County Sheriff’s office states Detective Matthew Chiang from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office participated in an undercover chat operation conducted by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office to identify and apprehend individuals using the internet to meet and exploit juveniles for sexual activity.
Police say Ortiz initiated conversation on Aug. 21 with Detective Chiang, who was posing as 13-year-old “Livi” through the dating-focused social media platform “Badoo.” After chatting on Badoo, Ortiz and Livi continued their conversation via text and over the phone, according to police.
Upon “Livi” telling Ortiz she was not a virgin, Ortiz allegedly explicitly expressed his sexual interest in Livi. According to police, Ortiz also said he would not get her pregnant, and he purchased alcohol to bring to Livi at her request.
Ortiz was given the address of a predetermined location and was positively identified after arrival, according to police.
He was arrested just past midnight on Aug. 22 at 2294 E. Irolo Bronson Memorial Highway in Kissimmee, Fl. and transported to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office to be interviewed. Ortiz immediately requested an attorney and did not wish to speak with detectives, police said.
While Ortiz was in the interview room, he allegedly asked deputies to shoot him because he did not want to live anymore. Police say he began to hit his head against the table and told deputies that they would have to use excessive force, and he would kill himself.
Detective Sara Rios, who wrote the charging affidavit, said, “[Ortiz] said he has now lost everything because he did something stupid and he wanted to die.”
Police determined that Ortiz would cause serious bodily harm to himself or others without care or treatment. As a result, they deemed Ortiz met the criteria for the Florida Mental Health Baker Act, which enables officers to commit a person to a mental health treatment center for up to 72 hours if they display certain violent or suicidal signs of mental illness.
Ortiz was then transported to Osceola County Corrections, where he was charged with traveling to meet a minor for unlawful sexual activity, as well as unlawful use of a two-way communication device, solicitation of a minor, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He was released on a total bond of $5500.
The Peekskill Police Department did not respond to a request for comment as of press time. City Manager Matthew Alexander told the Peekskill Herald he could not comment on employees. Oritiz did not respond for comment.
According to Ortiz’s LinkedIn profile, he became a full-time parking enforcement officer with Peekskill in June 2018. He graduated from SUNY Westchester Community College in 2007 with an associate’s degree in arts and sciences.
