Jennifer De Jesus, a Child Protection Investigator (CPI) from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, has been arrested by detectives for allegedly falsifying official records.
The investigation began on April 12, 2023, when a Child Protection Investigator Supervisor noticed discrepancies in a child abuse investigation conducted by De Jesus. The case required law enforcement response to a daycare facility due to allegations of abuse. De Jesus informed her supervisor that she had conducted the investigation with the St. Petersburg Police Department, and her supervisor instructed her to include the police report number in her report.
However, detectives discovered that the St. Petersburg Police report number provided by De Jesus was invalid and did not relate to the child abuse investigation. It was also confirmed that the St. Petersburg Police Department did not respond to the daycare with De Jesus. Despite being asked for a valid report number and the names of the officers who had responded with her, De Jesus failed to provide this information.
During the investigation, it was found that De Jesus had fabricated case numbers and lied about requesting the St. Petersburg Police Department to respond to the daycare with her. However, no harm was suffered by any of the children involved in these investigations due to her actions.
On April 19, 2023, De Jesus resigned and was subsequently arrested at the Sheriff’s Administration Building in Largo. In an interview with detectives, De Jesus admitted to not contacting the St. Petersburg Police Department and making a false entry. De Jesus began working for the agency in April 2021.
She was charged with one count of falsifying records and taken to the Pinellas County Jail.
The investigation is ongoing.