Pirates Closer Felipe Vazquez Arrested On Child Solicitation Charges [Update]

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced Tuesday that Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez was arrested in Pittsburgh and booked in Allegheny County Jail, where he will await extradition to Lee County (Florida) to face one count of computer pornography - solicitation of a child and one count of providing obscene material to minors.

The FDLE was tipped off in August about Vazquez possibly having a sexual relationship with a victim that began when she was 13. From the press release:

FDLE’s investigation began in August of this year after agents obtained information that Vazquez had a reported sexual relationship with a 13-year old female victim who resides in Lee County. The victim, now 15 years of age, was continuing to have a relationship with Vazquez via text messaging and received a video in July from him in which he is shown performing a sex act. Additionally, Vazquez allegedly sent the victim text messages suggesting they would meet for sex after his baseball season was over.

The victim lives in Lee County, which is where Vazquez’s case will be prosecuted. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, MLB will place the pitcher on administrative leave.

The Pirates have not yet commented on Vazquez’s arrest. We’ll update this post if more information becomes available.

Vazquez, born Felipe Rivero, logged 56 appearances for the Pirates this season and made this year’s NL all-star team.

Update (2:57 p.m. ET): According to the arrest affidavit, the victim’s mother discovered the sexually explicit images Vazquez sent the victim in July on her phone, one week after Vazquez sent them, and two weeks before the FDLE began its investigation.