SANFORD, Fla., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- A former deputy who resigned amid charges of misconduct earlier this year was arrested Thursday for making false accusations of child molestation.
Valencia LaRue, 40, was arrested and released on $1,000 bail after investigators said the former Seminole County Sheriff's deputy lied to an abuse hotline about her former lover's ex-wife, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Authorities allege LaRue made the anonymous call in May, claiming Deputy Joseph Fetcheck's ex-wife had sexually abused a 6-year-old girl. Deputies used the phone records from Florida Abuse Hotline to trace the number to LaRue's phone, but she denied ever making the call.
LaRue resigned earlier this summer and Fetcheck was fired after an internal investigation found the two -- both married at the time -- were engaged in an affair. The same investigation accused them of having sex during work hours; both denied doing so, but admitted to the relationship.
Investigators also found over 6,000 sexually explicit text messages exchanged between the two, who now say they are in love, after LaRue filed a harassment claim against Fetcheck's ex-wife, which was later dismissed.
