Trial set for ex-Pirates pitcher in sexual assault of minor case
A trial date has been set for former Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez, who is facing two dozen charges stemming from an alleged relationship with an underage girl in Westmoreland County.
Court documents show that Mr. Vazquez, a native of Venezuela, is scheduled for trial at 9 a.m. March 16 before Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Scott O. Mears. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for March 2.
Mr. Vazquez, 28, who is charged with 24 felonies and a misdemeanor, is accused of engaging in sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl outside her home in Scottdale. Police said Mr. Vazquez, in a Sept. 17 interview, admitted to having sexual contact with her in August 2017 inside his Mercedes in the driveway of the girl’s home. They also said he admitted to exchanging photos and videos of the girl, who now lives in Florida, “in various stages of nudity,” according to the criminal complaint.
According to state police Trooper Michael Thompson, who conducted the interview with Mr. Vazquez before his September arrest, the pitcher showed him
photos on his cellphone and a video on his laptop computer. In all, police said Mr. Vazquez had seven photos and three videos that he had exchanged with the girl.
Mr. Vazquez is charged with statutory sex assault, a felony, 11 felony counts of unlawful contact with a minor, 10 felony counts of child pornography, two felony counts of corruption of a minor, and a misdemeanor count of indecent assault of a person less than 16 years old.
In addition to the charges in Westmoreland County, Mr. Vazquez faces additional charges involving the same girl in Florida that claim he gave obscene material to a minor and solicited a child for unlawful sexual conduct using computer services or devices for allegedly exchanging sexually explicit photos and a video by cellphone.
Those charges are pending. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court President Judge Rita Hathaway has ruled that Mr. Vazquez must face charges in Pennsylvania first.