Man Arrested in School Burglary Faces Child Porn Charges

Alexis Ortiz was already in the custody of the Pasco County Sheriff's Office on charges related to a burglary at Ridgewood High School when a deputy discovered an iPhone in Ortiz's shorts.

That iPhone, the sheriff's office says, contained a photo of a man perfomring a sex act on a 2-year-old girl.

So Ortiz, who lives in Port Richey but worked as a garden tech at The Home Depot in Holiday, now faces a charge of possession of a photograph depicting sexual performance by a child in addition to a charge of burglary and three counts of dealing in stolen property that were already levied against him.

Ortiz is suspected of being a member of a burglary ring deputies believe is involved in a rash of burglaries at West Pasco schools. The total value of loot netted in those burglaries is around $172,000. There have been three people arrested in connection to the school burglaries, and other arrests are anticipated.

In the Ridgewood burglary, iPhones were among the items stolen.

Ortiz admitted to owning and using the iPhone with the picture of the sex act.

He was arrested in connection with the burglary on March 18. The child pornography charge was filed on April 3, according to jail records.

Ortiz, 19, was released from the Land O' Lakes jail after posting $35,000 bail.