A former Naples police officer was arrested over the weekend, charged with molesting two girls between the ages of 12 and 16.
37-year-old Ricardo Vazquez was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of the girls, who are sisters.
According to a report from the Collier County Sheriff's Office, the girls told their grandfather that Vazquez had touched them inappropriately on many occasions while their mother was not at home. When interviewed by detectives, the report states that Vazquez began to cry and denied doing anything inappropriate.
"I think he must have been a little sick mentally," said Norma McVey, who lives next door to Vazquez's residence in Golden Gate. "I mean it's too bad, because he was probably a really good guy to start with."
Vazquez's personnel file reveals that during his employment with the Naples Police Department from 2005 to 2010, he had several disciplinary concerns, including excessive absenteeism and striking a bicyclist with a patrol car. He was eventually fired in December 2010 for "workmanship not up to required standards."
Vazquez was booked into the Naples Jail Center. His bond was initially set at $200,000.
