OSECOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez will have to pay $250 fine for posting Madeline Soto’s body on social media, after reaching a plea deal with the State Attorney’s office.
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In the plea agreement, Lopez will pay a civil fine and pled no contest for posting the body of a Madeline Soto’s body on social media.
Lopez has to pay a $250 fine before he was set to appear in court for hearing that was scheduled for Dec. 20.
Lopez has stated that posting the picture was an accident.
The photo was posted on Lopez’s personal Instagram page less than 24 hours after law enforcement found Madeline Soto’s body in a rural area outside St. Cloud.
The tragic discovery was five days after the 13-year-old was reported missing.
Read: FDLE launches investigation after Osceola County sheriff posts picture of body on social media
The disturbing photo shows a body in the woods and dressed in the clothes Stephan Sterns said she was last seen in.
Lopez said he “accidentally” posted the image when sharing a post of himself visiting senior citizens.
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