Sports

Pirates Player Arrested On Charges Of Pornography, Soliciting A Child And Sexual Assault Of A Teen

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Emily Falenski Contributor
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Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vázquez was arrested in his apartment Tuesday in Pittsburgh on a felony warrant out of Lee County, Florida, on the charges of computer pornography, solicitation of a child and providing obscene material to minors, according to the Florida Department of Law enforcement.

Later Tuesday afternoon, his bond was denied and he’s facing additional charges out of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, of statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors and indecent assault of a person less than 16-years-old, according to court records.

His lawyer says there will be a hearing on Sept. 25 to determine if he will be extradited to Florida. Vázquez is currently being held in Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh.

Felipe Vazquez, 28, is a Venezuelan baseball player and has been an all-star pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates since 2016. Before that, he played for the Washington Nationals.

The incident began to take shape in 2017, when an unnamed 13 year old girl asked to take pictures with Felipe Vázquez outside the bullpen at PNC park. She later messaged him on Instagram, and they started talking through text and social media.

They exchanged sexual texts, videos and planned to meet up when his baseball season ended. In an interview with a state trooper, she said that he drove her to her house in Westmoreland County, and while in the car he pulled her pants down, put her on his lap and tried to have sex with her. According to state troopers, he admitted to driving to the girl’s house and trying to have sex with her, but he said he needed to leave because he had a game that night.

On another occasion he sent her a video of him performing a sexual act on himself. His face wasn’t showing, but the police identified him by his tattoos. When the Pennsylvania State Police and FDLE officials served the search warrant they had for his apartment, they seized multiple electronic devices which will be forensically tested. (RELATED: Dozens Of Alleged Child Sex Abuse Victims Line Up To Sue Catholic Church After NY Law Goes In Effect)

The Pirates have placed Vazquez on the restricted list following the arrest. He will continue to receive his $4 million salary but is ineligible to play. Workers removed a banner depicting Vázquez from outside PNC Park on Tuesday night. The Pirates recently released this statement: