A UF professor accused of spying on his underage adopted daughter was sentenced to five years of probation and at least 30 months of counseling.
Manuel Arturo Vasquez, 54, the chair of the university’s department of religion, was arrested last October after deputies with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said he placed a video camera inside his daughter’s closet, according to Alligator archives.
In October 2014, Vasquez captured a video of his topless daughter, then 14. Her underage friend later found the collection of seven videos, according to a police report.
On April 4, Vasquez pleaded nolo contendere, or no contest, to a charge of video voyeurism by someone 19 years or older.
With the plea, Vasquez is waving his right to a trial by jury rather than admitting or denying guilt. The judge declared a withheld adjudication, meaning he ordered sanctions but did not formally convict Vasquez of a criminal offense.
Circuit Judge Mark Moseley ordered Vasquez to undergo five years of probation and continue psychosexual treatment for at least 30 more months.
Vasquez is not to have unsupervised contact with children under the age of 18 except for students, if he retains his position at UF, according to the court documents.
He is currently on paid administrative leave and is banned from UF’s campus, UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes wrote in an email.
Sikes said UF will soon conclude its investigation into the matter.
@martindvassolo
mvassolo@alligator.org
