A Lake County sheriff’s deputy was jailed Tuesday night after allegedly soliciting underage teenage girls to make pornographic videos for money.
Jose Rodriguez, a four-year patrol deputy, was arrested at his home in Clermont on three counts of solicitation to commit sexual performance by a child following an investigation by sheriff’s detectives into allegations of inappropriate conduct with underage girls while off duty. The information was first reported by a female victim to an officer with the Clermont Police Department in early March. It was then forwarded to the sheriff’s office, which immediately launched an investigation.
Detectives learned that Rodriguez met several teenage girls while on duty as a patrol deputy in the Minneola area. He would then recruit them to work with him at his off-duty job as a compliance inspector for ISN Corporation, a business that contracts with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to verify various businesses’ compliance with state tobacco laws. The teenagers were used to attempt to make undercover purchases of tobacco products at businesses in the Central Florida area.
Three females who met Rodriguez while on duty reported to detectives that he offered them an opportunity to make pornographic videos for money. The activities allegedly took place from 2016 to 2019 while the girls’ ages ranged from 16 to 17 years old.
Detectives interviewed Rodriguez regarding the allegations. He confirmed his employment with ISN Corporation and confirmed that he had recruited teenagers for that job while on duty as a deputy. But he refused to answer further questions.
Rodriguez, who remains under investigation, was booked into the Lake County Jail with a $60,000 bond. He was suspended during the investigation and termination proceedings are under way.
