WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Former WPTV weatherman Rob Lopicola faces charges including lewd or lascivious battery, computer pornography and child exploitation, and unlawful sexual activity with certain minors after being arrested in Wilton Manors on Monday afternoon.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office says the charges stem from two separate incidents dating back to 2010.
According to a probable cause affidavit (Extremely graphic content), a 15-year-old boy who recently moved to Farmington Hills, Michigan, told police he met Lopicola through a Craigslist ad. The teen told investigators that they exchanged emails and text messages before meeting in October 2010.
In the original ad, the teen told police he lied about his age, saying he was 18, before telling Lopicola that he was only 15.
According to the affidavit, the teen met Lopicola, where they engaged in oral sex in a car.
The teen told police he continued to exchange text messages with Lopicola after moving to Michigan, including sending him three picture messages. Many of the texts were sexual in nature.
Lopicola was booked into the Palm Beach County jail.