Sarasota Police arrests, fires probationary officer

Inappropriate interactions with a minor that led to unwelcomed touching has landed a probationary officer of the Sarasota Police Department on the wrong side of the law, the Sarasota Police reported.

On April 30 following a monthlong investigation, Gabriel Ornellas-Victorio, 38, of Nokomis, was arrested on a charge of simple battery. He was accused by a 16-year-old girl of touching and kissing her after several weeks of cultivating what she believed to be a mentoring relationship. 

Ornellas-Victorio, who joined the SPD in November 2024, was booked at Sarasota County Jail. The arrest also resulted in his termination from the SPD.

“This decision reflects our commitment to integrity and transparency,” said Police Chief Rex Troche in a news release. “The trust of our community is earned and we will protect it. When someone violates the law and trust placed in them, there is no path forward with our agency.”

Image courtesy of Sarasota Police

An internal investigation began after a complaint was received by the SPD about off-duty behavior by Ornellas-Victorio. He was placed on administrative leave on April 2, during which time a separate complaint was filed, leading to a criminal investigation.

According to the arrest report, which did not identify the victim, detectives met with the teen who said Ornellas-Victorio frequented the business where she worked during his work shift and talked with the female employees. She said she told him she has aspirations to be a doctor, and he told her that he knew a lot of doctors and can give her some guidance. She said he was previously in the military and would talk to her about possible military service as a doctor.

She said Ornellas-Victorio added his contact in her phone “Just in case she needed anything or was ever in trouble,” according to the report. She told investigators she believed the number to be his department-issued phone. She also told detectives she knew Ornellas-Victorio is married and has a child, and he knew she was 16 years old and attends high school. She looked up to him, she said, as a police officer and a mentor.

Two months after first meeting him, they made plans to meet at a coffee shop to talk about her college plans. Her mother agreed to the meeting and drove her there and waited in the car. She said Ornellas-Victorio was very professional during the meeting and they only talked about her future plans.

Another meeting was scheduled for April 23 after school at the Barnes & Noble at 4010 S. Tamiami Trail. Her mother again drove her and waited in the car. There, he texted her, asked her to come to his car and they would go elsewhere for a snack while discussing her future. She trusted him, she said, because he was a police officer. 

The drove to Pure Vida at 4994 S. Tamiami Trail, sat outside and talked. He then drove her  back to Barnes & Noble, where her mother was waiting. On the drive back, she told detectives he told her he wished she was 18 years old and that “this would be easier if they were in Brazil.” He also told her that she could not tell anyone about them meeting up. 

At that point she began to feel uncomfortable and wanted to get out of the car. She said when they arrived back at Barnes & Noble he parked where her mother would not be able to see his car. There, he gave her a “side hug” with his right arm, pulled her toward him and kissed her cheek, both unwanted actions. She told detectives he then grabbed her face with his fingers and kissed her lips. She said she pushed him away and immediately went to her mother's car.

On the drive home she said she texted him and asked him why behaved as he did. He replied, she said, but she doesn't remember the response and she immediately deleted all text messages and his contact information from her cell phone. 

Investigators began to piece together the incident after she described Ornellas-Victorio’s car as a small black Nissan. A check with law enforcement databases revealed a 2020 black Nissan registered to him.

The victim’s reported movements of the vehicle were confirmed by traffic cameras in the area, tracking him from his home to Barnes & Noble and back again.

Ornellas-Victorio is being held without bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on May 26. Anyone with information on this case or who has had contact with Ornellas-Victorio is asked to call Det. Megan Buck with the Criminal Investigations Division at 941-263-6067.