AVON PARK
Alberto Perez, 33, who has been an officer with the Avon Park Police Department since July 2007, has been arrested for extortion.
The Tuesday evening arrest comes on the heels of a lengthy investigation of complaints about police misconduct.
It started in June 2008 in reference to complaints that APPD officers were stealing from citizens, namely those of a Hispanic background.
The first arrest was of Adam Willis, 31, on Nov. 19.
An undercover operation with a vehicle made to look like it was abandoned on the side of the road allegedly caught Willis stealing money from the car and not making any attempts to locate the owner.
When he was arrested, he still had $40 of the marked bills in his pocket, arrest reports said.
Since Willis's arrest, Perez was put on paid administrative leave.
The two officers worked the same shift, and were commended for their actions early in November at an Avon Park City Council meeting for thwarting an alleged robbery in progress.
The two men noticed the suspicious activity behind All Star Video along the 1500 block of U.S. 27 and their efforts resulted in the arrest of three suspects.
At this time any other affiliations between the two men are unknown.
According to Patrica Austin with the Avon Park chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, she fielded complaints of extortion that made her "furious."
They included citizens paying the officers between $200 and $300 to avoid being written a ticket.
Officials from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which organized the Willis investigation and undercover operation, would not comment on the allegations of money for tickets.
More Information: http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2008/dec/03/Second_AP_Police_Officer_Arrested/
Alberto Perez, 33, who has been an officer with the Avon Park Police Department since July 2007, has been arrested for extortion.
The Tuesday evening arrest comes on the heels of a lengthy investigation of complaints about police misconduct.
It started in June 2008 in reference to complaints that APPD officers were stealing from citizens, namely those of a Hispanic background.
The first arrest was of Adam Willis, 31, on Nov. 19.
An undercover operation with a vehicle made to look like it was abandoned on the side of the road allegedly caught Willis stealing money from the car and not making any attempts to locate the owner.
When he was arrested, he still had $40 of the marked bills in his pocket, arrest reports said.
Since Willis's arrest, Perez was put on paid administrative leave.
The two officers worked the same shift, and were commended for their actions early in November at an Avon Park City Council meeting for thwarting an alleged robbery in progress.
The two men noticed the suspicious activity behind All Star Video along the 1500 block of U.S. 27 and their efforts resulted in the arrest of three suspects.
At this time any other affiliations between the two men are unknown.
According to Patrica Austin with the Avon Park chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, she fielded complaints of extortion that made her "furious."
They included citizens paying the officers between $200 and $300 to avoid being written a ticket.
Officials from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which organized the Willis investigation and undercover operation, would not comment on the allegations of money for tickets.
More Information: http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2008/dec/03/Second_AP_Police_Officer_Arrested/
No comments:
Post a Comment