EBRSO deputy arrested, accused of sending inappropriate text messages to 15-year-old

EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, La. (WAFB) - A deputy with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office has been arrested after being accused of sending inappropriate text messages to a 15-year-old girl, authorities said.

The deputy, Joseph Pizzalato, 44, was taken into custody on Friday, September 15, and is charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile, according to EBRSO.

Pizzalato was terminated from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office prior to his arrest, deputies said. They added that he worked with the sheriff’s office for about six years and was most recently serving in corrections.

According to arrest documents, the victim said Pizzalato initiated contact with her through text messages. She told investigators that he started “talking sexual things,” authorities said. They added that a review of the victim’s cell phone also revealed multiple messages were received from Pizzalato.

Authorities said that during an interview with Pizzalato, he voluntarily provided his cell phone. They added that his cell phone number matched the one provided by the victim.

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