SANFORD, Fla. — An Orange County Sheriff's deputy was arrested in Seminole County over the weekend and accused of using his status as a law enforcement officer to access and share information illegally with the husband of the victim in a fatal carjacking.
According to court documents, Deputy Francisco Estrella, 23, was arrested Sunday at the Seminole County Sheriff's Office just after 9:30 p.m.
He has been charged with:
- Eavesdropping via illegal interception of a communication
- Invasion of privacy via illegal disclosure of a communication
- Obstructing a criminal investigation by a public servant
- Access to a computer or electronic device without authority
- Using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony
According to an arrest affidavit in the case, Estrella contacted an investigator in the case of 31-year-old Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas, who was carjacked in Winter Springs and later found shot to death inside a burning vehicle.
Estrella allegedly identified himself as an Orange County Sheriff's Office deputy named Francisco Archuela and Guerrero De Aguasvivas' cousin.
The affidavit says the call came about four hours after Guerrero De Aguasvivas was found dead in a rural area of Osceola County.
"The male stated he was concerned with the safety of his cousin, Katherine, and asked (the detective) how the investigation was processing," the affidavit said. "(The detective) informed the male that this was an active investigation and that she could not disclose details or discuss the matter at that time."
The detective reported that she received a second call from Francisco Archuela the next day about the investigation.
It wasn't until Guerrero De Aguasvivas' husband went into the Seminole County Sheriff's Office and allowed investigators to look through his phone that the name given to the detective was found to be false and the man on the phone was actually Estrella, the affidavit said.
Also discovered in the phone was a recording of the conversation between the detective and Estrella when he was allegedly using a pseudonym.
"(The detective) advised ... that she never had any knowledge that their conversation was being recorded, nor did she give Francisco Estrella or anyone else in his company permission to record their conversation," the affidavit said.
Investigators also reported finding information in the husband's phone that showed the Orange County deputy had improperly used the Driver and Vehicle Information Database (D.A.V.I.D.) to look up the detective, the affidavit said.
The search of Guerrero De Aguasvivas' husband's phone also showed that Estrella had allegedly sent the man a photograph of the detective's driver's license profile, which included her photo, driver's license number and full legal name.
Seminole County investigators reported that the Orange County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Estrella's D.A.V.I.D. account had been used to look up information on the detective, and Guerrero De Aguasvivas.
According to records from the Seminole County Jail, Estrella was being held in lieu of bonds totaling $15,000.
In a statement, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said that Estrella was hired in September 2022, and has been relieved of duty without pay while the criminal case plays out. Once the criminal proceedings are complete, OCSO officials said they would conduct an administrative investigation into the case and publicly release the results.
“These are very serious criminal allegations. It is completely unacceptable for any law enforcement officer to misuse the power and authority of their job,” said Orange County Sheriff John Mina. “At the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, we hold our deputies to the highest ethical standards, and we will not tolerate anyone breaking the law within our ranks.”
This is a developing story and more information will be posted as it becomes available.