Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Felipe Vazquez was arrested Tuesday in Pennsylvania and charged with one count of computer pornography, solicitation of a child, and one count of providing obscene material to minors, ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan reports.
Vazquez was taken into custody for an arrest warrant issued in Florida after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement launched an investigation last month into Vazquez possibly engaging in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl from Lee County, dating as far back as when she was only 13. As part of their investigation, authorities have seized several electronic devices belonging to Vasquez from his Pittsburgh apartment.
Passan reports that the girl received a text in July from Vazquez "in which he is shown performing a sex act," as well as messages suggesting that the two would meet up for sex once the 2019 season concluded.
According to TMZ, the child's mother was the one who found the "concerning images and video" on her daughter's phone. She ended up confronting the Pirates pitcher via text to inform him that the person he was interacting with was a minor before going to authorities with her discovery. Vazquez is facing, at least, two third-degree felony charges. Each count comes with the maximum of a five-year prison sentence.
Pirates president Frank Coonelly released the following statement in regards to Vazquez's arrest.
Vazquez has been placed on administrative leave by the MLB.
