A former school resource officer at Seminole High School has been arrested for allegedly engaging in inappropriate conduct with a 17-year-old female student.
Back on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, the Sanford Police Department was notified that one of its officers, Pedro Enrique Da Silva, was inappropriately communicating with a student, according to SPD.
In a media release, SPD stated that Da Silva was promptly removed from his position as school resource officer at Seminole High School (2701 Ridgewood Avenue in Sanford), and his employment with the police department was terminated. A criminal investigation into the incident was then launched by the agency, with assistance provided by the Seminole County School Board.
According to Sanford police, investigators determined that Da Silva had numerous “inappropriate interactions with a 17-year-old female student” at Seminole High School while he was on duty as the school resource officer. These interactions allegedly occurred between October 2025 and December 17, 2025.
During one of those interactions, Da Silva allegedly “made a lewd statement” to the student before taking out his cellphone and showing her “several explicit pictures of himself.” In a media release, the police department stated that this interaction was “corroborated by surveillance footage.”
On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, SPD officers placed Da Silva under arrest, and he was booked into Seminole County Jail. He is being charged with one count of written solicitation of certain minors to commit a lewd or lascivious act, one count of soliciting or engaging in sexual conduct with a student by an authority figure, and one count of showing obscene material to a minor.
After Da Silva’s arrest, Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith released the following statement:
“This man’s actions can be described as nothing but vile, disgusting, and repulsive. This type of conduct will not be tolerated. His duty was to protect the children on that campus, and instead he acted as a predator, using his position to manipulate and attempt to groom a 17-year-old child. He is a husband and a parent himself. How sickening is his conduct? To be clear, he is a predator; the worst type of criminal.”
Da Silva began his employment as a police officer with the Sanford Police Department officer in June of 2024. He was assigned to Seminole High School as a school resource officer on July 28, 2025, and he served in that role until his termination on December 17, 2025.
If anyone has additional information regarding this case or believes that they may have had inappropriate interactions with Da Silva, please contact the Sanford Police Department at 407-688-5070. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-423-TIPS (8477).