Assistant police chief, sergeant on paid administrative leave after student-athlete recruiting complaint
By Terri Parker
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PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida (WPBF) — Two high-ranking Port St. Lucie Police officers are on paid administrative leave following an anonymous complaint raising questions about their role in recruiting student-athletes.
The Port St. Lucie Assistant Police Chief and his brother, who is a sergeant with the police department, are both on paid leave after an anonymous letter was sent to the police department.
A spokesman for Port St. Lucie police confirmed it’s the same letter mailed to Investigative Reporter Terri Parker, and they’ve sent it to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office for possible criminal review.
The letter accuses Assistant Police Chief William Vega and his brother, Sgt. Robert Vega, of various improprieties in recruiting student-athletes to Martin County High School.
The school district confirms William Vega is a volunteer coach and Robert Vega is a paid part-time coach.
In a statement, Port St. Lucie police said they received the anonymous letter regarding William Vega and Robert Vega and that it “has been referred to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation, and William Vega and Robert Vega have been placed on administrative leave with pay at this time.”
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman confirms the police department asked them to investigate the anonymous claims in the letter regarding the alleged falsification of documents pertaining to two employees.
“I can confirm that the district has received an anonymous complaint containing the allegations you referenced. The district will review the concerns raised to ensure that all School Board policies have been and continue to be followed. This is the only information I am able to provide while our review is underway,” Martin County School District spokeswoman Jennifer DeShazo said in a written statement.
The complaint letter was also sent to the Florida High School Athletic Association.
Parker reached out to the CEO of the association to see if there is any investigation on their end and has not yet heard back.
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