A former Sanford police officer who served as a school resource officer at Seminole High School is now behind bars after investigators say he attempted to groom and entice a 17-year-old student.
Authorities identified the suspect as Pedro Henrique Da Silva, who had been assigned to the school since July. According to investigators, the alleged inappropriate conduct occurred over several months, from October through mid-December, and was ultimately reported by another officer who discovered it.
Parents in the community say the news has been deeply unsettling. “It’s a little bit shocking,” said Niels Leopard, a parent with two daughters at Seminole High School. He recalled noticing unusual activity during student drop-off earlier in the week. “We noticed there were three vehicles with U.S. Government plates, and we were just trying to make heads or tails of it.”
Investigators say Da Silva engaged in inappropriate contact with the student that included sexual comments, text messages, and requests. Court records allege that at one point, he showed the teenager explicit photos of himself, an incident authorities say was caught on school cameras. Records also note that Da Silva often spoke in Spanish during interactions because others nearby might not understand.
Sanford police confirmed they were notified on December 17 after another officer reported the alleged conduct. Following weeks of investigation, Da Silva was arrested on Wednesday morning. He now faces multiple charges, including soliciting a minor to a lewd act, sexual offense as an authority figure, and showing obscene material to a minor.
For many parents, the allegations strike at the heart of the trust placed in school resource officers. “It’s a huge it’s a huge issue because you’ve got resource officers at every school and you really depend on on rules to be followed,” Leopard said.
Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith addressed the case in a statement, saying in part, “His duty was to protect the children on that campus. Instead, he acted as a predator, using his position to manipulate and groom a 17 year old child.” The statement underscored the seriousness of the accusations and the department’s position on the alleged misconduct.
Leopard said he believes accountability and stronger safeguards are essential moving forward. “I’ll let. I’ll let the system. I’ll let the system take care of that. I just, you know, I think I think more oversight in terms of hiring might be the way to go,” he said.
Police are urging anyone who may have additional information about interactions involving Da Silva, or anyone who believes they may have experienced inappropriate conduct, to contact investigators. The case remains under active investigation as authorities work to determine whether there may be other victims.
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