A now-ousted Florida deputy accused of sexually abusing a child was publicly admonished by his disgusted sheriff, who branded his subordinate a “monster” along with several expletives and said he no longer recognized him.
Corporal Donald Valverde, 37, was arrested and subsequently fired Friday afternoon after a young victim came forward earlier in the week with “absolutely horrendous” details that “churned our stomachs,” Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said at a press conference.
The sick allegations against Valverde occurred within Pasco County “over a period of time, not just immediate, a lengthy period of time,” the sheriff said.
“As a parent, you hear what this c–t did, and you just want to beat the crap out of him,” Nocco said.
“Let me tell you one thing, Valverde is a POS. There is no other way around to say it,” the sheriff fumed.
The corporal, who had been with the sheriff’s office since 2015, “embarrass[ed] the profession,” Nocco said regarding the heinous accusations.
“We don’t even recognize him anymore,” the sheriff said.
Valverde was slapped with two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation — one of which is a life felony, while the other is a second-degree charge.
He was also charged with one count of unlawful sexual activity involving a minor, which is punishable by life in prison.
Nocco said he “can’t provide too many details about the victim,” whom he called “extremely brave,” but the allegations happened while Valverde was off-duty and the child was known to him through a “custodial relationship.”
“The bravery at that age to be able to stand up against a monster is incredible,” the sheriff praised. “This monster is arrested. He’s in jail right now. He can’t harm you anymore.”
“The damage he did is already devastating. Life in prison is nothing for the punishment he absolutely deserves,” Nocco slammed.
Nocco thanked the young victim for “her bravery” and pleaded for anyone else who may have been victimized by Valverde to come forward.
Valverde, who only recently became a corporal after working in the patrol division for several years, was previously investigated for possible domestic situations, Nocco explained.
Nocco argued Valverde “was not the stellar deputy you would want,” but said his conduct never substantiated to being fired or arrested.
“That’s what makes it hard as a sheriff or an administrator in a law enforcement organization, is that there’s people you know are liabilities and he had that,” Nocco said of Valverde.
“But the problem was the laws are in place, unfortunately, to protect him,” the sheriff said, adding that “we could not punish him for that.”
The sheriff’s office also said it was never made aware of any previous allegations against Valverde involving children before this week.
In a statement to The Post, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said “the victim is safe and receiving the necessary resources” and that “there are no reports of additional victims at this time.”
“The investigation remains ongoing, and no additional information is available at this time,” the statement said.
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