The firefighter and his wife were arrested. allegedly forced He engaged in sexual activity with a minor at his home in Riverview, Florida.
Sasha Engel, 39, worked as a lieutenant with Hillsborough County Fire and Rescue, and his wife, Alyssa Engel, 37, worked for the State Attorney’s Office before their arrests.
“This egregious violation of innocence is shameful and goes against every value we stand for.”
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said the Engels let a 16-year-old male stay overnight at their home in March and forced him to have sex with Alyssa Engel.
The boy then told a trusted adult about the incident, who then contacted police.
During police interviews, Alyssa Engel admitted to walking around naked in front of the boy but denied anything else happening, the report said.
The two were each charged with three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.
The trial will be moved from Hillsborough County to Polk County to avoid conflicts caused by Alyssa Engel’s previous employment in the Hillsborough County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Sheriff Chad Chronister slammed the couple in a statement about the arrests.
“It is sickening and deeply disappointing that not one, but two adults would conspire to take advantage of a young child, especially when one of those adults is a trusted authority figure in our community,” he said. “This egregious violation of innocence is shameful and goes against every value we uphold in this community.”
Sascha Engel was placed on unpaid administrative leave following his arrest.
The Engels appeared in court Friday, where a judge set bail at $50,000 for each charge, bringing the total bail for both to $300,000.
Police said the investigation is ongoing but they believe this is an isolated incident.
WFLA Television A news video report was released. With video of the two in court.
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