15/01/2026
Former Sanford Police Officer Arrested for Inappropriate Conduct With a Minor
Media Release Sanford, FL (January 14, 2026): Sanford Police Investigators have arrested Pedro Enrique Da Silva on charges of Written Solicitation of Certain Minors to Commit a Lewd or Lascivious Act, and S*xual Offense By an Authority Figure.
On December 17, 2025, the Sanford Police Department was notified by one of our officers that Da Silva, the School Resource Officer at Seminole High School, was engaged in inappropriate communication with a student. Immediately after receiving the information, Chief Smith met with DaSilva and removed him from his position as School Resource Officer and terminated his employment with the Sanford Police Department. A criminal investigation was then initiated by the Sanford Police Department’s Investigations Section.
The investigation was conducted with the assistance of the Seminole County School Board. Based on the investigation, it was determined that Da Silva had a number of inappropriate interactions with a 17-year-old female student while on duty as the School Resource Officer. These interactions took place between October 2025 and December 17, 2025. In one interaction, Da Silva made a lewd statement to the victim, then took out his phone and showed her several explicit pictures of himself. This interaction was corroborated by surveillance footage.
On January 14, 2026, Sanford Police Investigators arrested Da Silva on one count of Written Solicitation of Certain Minors to Commit a Lewd or Lascivious Act, one count of S*x Offense Authority Figure Solicit Engage S*xual Conduct with Student and one count of Obscene Materials – Show Obscene Material to a Minor. Da Silva was arrested without incident and taken to the John E. Polk Correctional Facility.
Regarding the arrest, Chief Cecil Smith stated, “The officer coming forward identified that there was an issue or concern and reported it immediately. This is an example of what I expect from every single one of my officers. This man’s actions can be described as nothing but vile, disgusting, and repulsive. This type of conduct will not be tolerated. His duty was to protect the children on that campus, and instead he acted as a predator, using his position to manipulate and attempt to groom a 17-year-old child. He is a husband and a parent himself. How sickening is his conduct? To be clear, he is a predator; the worst type of criminal.”
“We are thankful for the quick and decisive action taken by the Sanford Police Department to remove this individual from his duty as soon as allegations of inappropriate communication and conduct with a student were reported,” said Seminole County Public Schools Superintendent Serita D. Beamon. “We will continue to fully cooperate with this investigation and encourage any student or staff member who may have information relevant to this case to come forward.”
Da Silva had been employed as a police officer with the Sanford Police Department since June 2024. He was assigned to Seminole High School as a School Resource Officer from July 28, 2025, to December 17, 2025.
Investigators are asking anyone with additional information on these incidents, or anyone who may have had inappropriate interactions with Da Silva to please contact the Sanford Police Department or Crimeline at 800 423-TIPS (8477) or visit www.crimeline.org.
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