SPRING HILL – A deputy with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office killed his ex-girlfriend and then himself, according to the Pasco Sheriff’s Office.
Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco said the victim and her two children were returning home to Hudson from the beach around 5:30 p.m. Aug. 10 when they saw her ex-boyfriend standing in their yard. They started arguing over his TV.
The victim tried calling 911, but the suspect took the phone from her hands. She told her children to go inside and call 911. One of the children identified the suspect to dispatch as Deputy Troy Savetz with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrived at the scene but Savetz and the victim were gone. The sheriff’s office learned that Savetz was using a rental vehicle. The Pasco Sheriff’s Office alerted neighboring jurisdictions to the kidnapping.
A deputy spotted the rental vehicle around 7 p.m. on Platinum Drive in Spring Hill. Deputies found both bodies inside.
Savetz worked for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for 14 years. Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri described the situation as horrific.
“There is no reason to have a permanent solution to a temporary problem,” Gualtieri said. “The fact that he made that kind of a decision to leave two kids, 12 and 9 years old, without a mom for the rest of their lives is just awful. Our hearts go out to her family.”
Nocco praised the cooperation of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
“The moment this individual committed a crime, he was no longer a law enforcement officer,” Nocco said. “He was a criminal.”
Nocco credited the children for listening to their mother by going inside to call 911. After listening to the 911 audio, he was struck by how brave and calm they were as they relayed information to the dispatcher under pressure.
“We’re so proud of you and I know your mom is,” Nocco said in a message to the children. “But know this entire community is praying for you and our arms go around you. We’re going to do everything we can because we know that you’re going to be going back to school and we’re going to make sure the resources are there for you.”
