Sweetwater suspends employee after he is arrested on sexual-abuse charges

Sweetwater has suspended a city employee following an arrest on charges of sexual abuse on a minor.

Luis Armando Quintero, 23, who works for the city’s maintenance department, was arrested Tuesday by Miami-Dade police. On Wednesday, he was denied bail and suspended by city officials.

Mayor Orlando Lopez ordered an internal investigation to determine if there were any problems with Quintero while he worked with children during summer camps while he was employed by Sweetwater’s Parks and Recreation Department.

“We are not aware or have any knowledge that anything inappropriate took place, no crime,” said Lopez on Wednesday. “But we want to err on the side of caution and assure ourselves that everything was OK during that time. I’ve arranged it so that parents of the children who participated in the camps are notified and spoken to.”

The suspect is accused of having sexual relations with an 11-year-old girl in her room at home.

A second incident allegedly took place two months later when the child turned 12 years old (her current age). Authorities said Quintero drove to the girl’s home and parked in the driveway. The girl entered his car, and they had sex.

According to the arrest report, Quintero admitted to both allegations.

Quintero is the son of former Parks and Recreation Department Director Luis Quintero, who was fired during a wave of layoffs in May of last year. The suspect was arrested while he was at work.

City officials made clear that the incidents of which Quintero is accused of didn’t take place during work hours or in any city territory.

According to employee files, Luis Armando Quintero started working for Sweetwater in 2008 as a summer camp counselor. In 2012, he became a full-time employee, earning $10 per hour. He was eventually transferred to the Maintenance Department. According to an October 2014 memorandum, he earned annual salary of $24,900.

Efforts to reach Quintero’s lawyer for comment Wednesday were not successful.

Follow Brenda Medina on Twitter @BrendaMedinar

This story was originally published July 16, 2015 at 8:51 AM with the headline "Sweetwater suspends employee after he is arrested on sexual-abuse charges."