Deputy Roger Aaron Kirby Arrested for Beating Child

A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy was arrested last week after allegedly battering a 5-year-old boy, leaving the child with hemorrhaging around the eyes and a swollen lip, according to a police report.

Roger Aaron Kirby, 37, was arrested Thursday and booked into the Palm Beach County Jail. Court records show Kirby was released Friday after posting $25,000 bond. Kirby is on paid administrative leave from PBSO pending an investigation.

The child, whose relationship to Kirby could not be verified, was admitted into the pediatric intensive care unit at Palms West Hospital on April 22 for what doctors diagnosed as petechial hemorrhaging that resulted from “manual asphyxiation,” the report said.

According to a medical report, the “most likely possibilities” for the boy’s injuries were that “he was smothered over the mouth and nose while he struggled to breathe or that he had ‘fallen’ off the bed and his face was forcibly pressed against the floor impeding his ability to breathe freely.”

After spending several days in the hospital, the boy was discharged. He was interviewed by a member of PBSO’s Child Protection Team but “was timid and reluctant to speak,” about what happened.

On May 22, a member of the Child Protection Team met with the boy, who said he was in the hospital because Kirby had choked him and hurt his eyes. The boy said he was in his bedroom when Kirby went into his room, whispered something then covered his mouth and nose. The report said the boy demonstrated a “choke hold” while re-enacting what happened to him. When he tried to get away, the boy said, Kirby squeezed him harder.

The boy indicated to the detective the alleged abuse has been ongoing. He said Kirby had become angry and disciplined him harshly after the boy wet the bed. The boy said Kirby has made him stand in the bathroom for “hours” and also made him jump up and down in front of the toilet. He’s forced to spend so much time in the bathroom that he falls asleep, which angers Kirby and causes him to hit the boy, the report said.

On one occasion, the child said, Kirby shoved a wet diaper into his face after a wetting accident. Kirby also “punches” him, including in the face, the boy said. Kirby is listed on his arrest report as 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds.

An unidentified person in the home cries and begs Kirby not to hurt the boy, the report said.

Kirby, a Wellington resident, joined the sheriff’s office in 2004 and works in the training division, a sheriff’s spokeswoman said.

In February 2012, Kirby was arrested after he allegedly slammed his girlfriend against an aluminum bi-fold door during an argument. Kirby told deputies that he and his girlfriend had argued about his 2-year-old daughter. The girlfriend, whose name was not released, said they had argued over Kirby’s drug use, according to the arrest report.

Court records show that the state attorney’s office did not file a charge of battery against Kirby.

Kirby is the second sheriff’s deputy arrested in less than a week.

Joaquin Fonseca, an undercover agent, was arrested and booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on May 20. He faces charges of official misconduct, possession of cocaine and false statements to a law enforcement officer during an investigation.

Former Sheriff's Officer Brian McRee Arrested in Sex Sting

Fourteen men, including a former Jacksonville sheriff’s officer, have been arrested in the week-long Operation Volusia Spring Cleaning cyber-sting that targeted adults looking to meet children for sex, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

Brian McRee, 51, was charged Saturday with 50 counts of possession of sexual performance by a child, plus use of a computer to solicit a minor, traveling to solicit a minor and unlawful use of two-way communications, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. Surveillance video shows him being wrestled to the floor during his arrest at a decoy house in DeBary. A bottle of liquor, gun, a computer with child pornography, a digital camera and an injectable treatment for erectile dysfunction were found on him, according to investigators.

Prison Guards Tortured a Mentally Ill Man Until His Skin “Shriveled from his Body” & He Died

The purported details of Darren Rainey’s last hour are difficult to read.

“I can’t take it no more, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again,’’ he screamed over and over, according to a grievance complaint from a fellow inmate, as Rainey was allegedly locked in a shower with the scalding water turned on full blast.

A 50-year-old mentally ill inmate at the Dade Correctional Institution, Rainey was pulled into the locked shower by prison guards as punishment after defecating in his cell and refusing to clean it up, said the fellow inmate, who worked as an orderly. He was left there unattended for more than an hour as the narrow chamber filled with steam and water.

When guards finally checked on prisoner 060954, he was on his back and dead. His skin was so burned that it had shriveled from his body, a condition referred to as slippage, according to a medical document involving the death.

But nearly two years after Rainey’s death on June 23, 2012, the Miami-Dade medical examiner has yet to complete an autopsy and Miami-Dade police have not charged anyone. The Florida Department of Corrections halted its probe into the matter, saying it could be restarted if the autopsy and police investigation unearth new information.

“They told people that he had a heart attack,’’ said a source close to the prison system with knowledge of the case.

The shower treatment was only one form of punishment inflicted by the prison’s guards to keep mentally ill patients in line, according to the inmate/orderly and two other sources privy to the goings-on at the state prison.

The inmate/orderly, a convicted burglar named Harold Hempstead serving a decades-long sentence, filed repeated formal complaints, beginning in January 2013, with the DOC inspector general, alleging that prison guards subjected inmates — housed in the mental health unit — to extreme physical abuse and withheld food from some who became unruly. The complaints were sent back, most with a short, type-written note saying the appeal was being returned “without action” or had already been addressed.

In September, another inmate was found dead inside his cell. Richard Mair, 40, hanged himself from an air conditioning vent.

According to the police report, Mair left a suicide note in his boxer shorts claiming he and other prisoners were sexually and physically abused on a routine basis by guards.

DOC officials declined to be interviewed for this story. A spokeswoman said Friday that the agency would provide public records in response to the newspaper’s formal written requests, but no comments.

Over the past several weeks, the newspaper has requested maintenance records, grievance logs, prison death records, guards’ disciplinary records and emails by administrators, including DCI Warden Jerry Cummings.

As of Friday, the agency had released a handful of documents: a single report about a prison guard admonished for falling asleep on duty last year; brief, coded disciplinary records for Hempstead, Rainey and several other inmates who Hempstead says were also subjected to searing hot showers as punishment; and a heavily redacted copy of the DOC inspector general’s report on Rainey’s death.

On Friday, the Herald learned from three independent sources that Cummings and four of his top aides had been temporarily relieved of duty last week.

It’s not clear why Cummings and other administrators were suspended, or for how long.

The DOC did not respond to an email query about the suspensions late Friday.

Rainey’s family, meanwhile, finds the silence surrounding his death disturbing.

“Two years is a very long time to wait to find out why your brother was found dead in a shower,’’ said Rainey’s brother, Andre Chapman.

Rainey, who was serving a two-year sentence for possession of cocaine, was scheduled to be released in July.

Numerous complaints

Between January and February 2013, Hempstead filed numerous grievances and complaints with DOC officials about Rainey’s death, all alleging that the circumstances were being covered up.

His reports, replete with the names of other inmate witnesses and prison guards on duty that evening, describe what he and others purportedly saw and heard that night. The details in his complaints match the wording in the inspector general’s report — at least the parts not redacted.

The inspector general’s report said that the video camera in the shower area showed DOC officer Roland Clarke place Rainey in the shower at 7:38 p.m.

Hempstead said the shower had sufficient room for an inmate to avoid a direct hit from the spray, but that the extreme heat would eventually make the air unbreathable as the scalding water lapped at inmates’ feet.

Hempstead wrote that he and other inmates, whose cells are directly below the shower, began hearing Rainey’s screams about 8:55 p.m. It went on for about 30 minutes before it sounded like he fell to the shower floor, he said in his complaint.

The DOC inspector general’s report said Clarke found Rainey dead at 9:30 p.m. and called for medical assistance.

“I then seen [sic] his burnt dead body naked body go about two feet from my cell door on a stretcher,’’ Hempstead wrote.

Miami-Dade homicide investigators were called to the prison.

But another inmate, a convicted murderer named Mark Joiner, wrote in a letter to the inspector general that he was ordered to “clean up the crime scene’’ prior to the area being secured.

Early in the week after the incident, maintenance workers at the prison disabled the plumbing that fed the shower, Hempstead told the Herald in an interview at the prison.

Despite all his written complaints, Hempstead was never interviewed by anyone from the prison system, he said. Another inmate was spoken to, according to the report. That’s presumably Joiner, although the DOC will not divulge the name. The Herald is waiting for a transcript of that interview, which DOC officials said would be redacted of any information pertaining to an open criminal investigation.

As for the video camera in the shower area, the inspector general’s report noted that it malfunctioned right after Clarke put Rainey in the shower. As a result, the disc that may have recorded what happened was “damaged,’’ the report said.

The redacted report doesn’t say how Rainey’s body was found, whether the water was on or off when he was found or whether state investigators ever questioned any of the guards or nurses in the unit at the time of Rainey’s death.

The union that represents the prison guards was not aware of the incident as of this past week. No record was provided to the Herald to indicate that anyone has been held accountable for what happened.

A suicide note

Mair was found hanging in his cell on Sept. 11, 2013. A braided rope, made from cut sections of bed sheets, was attached to the ceiling air vent and looped around his neck, according to a Miami-Dade police report.

Tucked into a pocket sewed into his boxer shorts was a suicide note in which Mair, serving life for second-degree murder, described a litany of abuses against inmates in the mental health unit.

“Life sucks and then you die, but just before I go, I’m going to expose everyone for who and what they are,’’ he wrote.

“I’m in a mental health facility...I’m supposed to be getting help for my depression, suicidal tendencies and I was sexually assaulted.’’

He then goes on to allege that guards forced inmates in the unit to perform sex acts and threatened them if they filed complaints.

He said guards — identified by name in the note — gambled on duty, sold marijuana and cigarettes, and stole money and property belonging to inmates.

“If they didn’t like you, they put you on a starvation diet,’’ he wrote.

He also alleged that guards encouraged racial hatred by forcing white and black inmates to fight each other in the yard, claiming that the guards would place bets on who would win.

Mair’s next of kin was in prison in Maine and unavailable for comment.

There’s no evidence that the state inspector general’s probe into Mair’s death addressed any of the allegations in the suicide note.

The probe concluded that guards had been negligent in failing to adequately check on Mair the evening he killed himself.

Les Cantrell, state coordinator for Teamsters Local 2011 — the union representing the state’s 17,000 corrections and probation officers — said there has been a spike in prison complaints across the state. Employee turnover is staggering, he said, particularly among prison guards who are often forced to work long hours to compensate for officers they have lost and failed to replace.

“In general, we have a difficult time retaining good officers,’’ Cantrell said. “Assaults on officers have risen and inmates know they are short-staffed.

“It makes it unsafe for the officers and for the inmates,’’ he said.

The six-page inspector general’s investigation into Rainey’s death was completed in October 2012. DOC Inspector General Jeffrey Beasley closed the case, concluding there was not enough information to issue any finding.

“...the exact cause of death has not been determined by the Medical Examiner. Upon receipt of the autopsy report, it will be included in the investigative file,’’ the report said, noting that if “administrative matters” subsequently arise as a result of the autopsy, they will be addressed at a future time.

The report, which includes brief written statements by Clarke as well as other guards and nurses, has large passages that have been redacted — obscured with a black marker.

The Department of Corrections has not responded to requests from the Herald to provide the legal justification for each redaction, as required under the state’s public records law.

After Hempstead was interviewed at the prison by a Herald journalist on April 14, Miami-Dade homicide investigators also paid him a visit to interview him about the two-year-old case, he wrote in a letter emailed to Gov. Rick Scott last week through a family member.

According to the letter, three corrections officers, including a sergeant, responded to the visits by threatening to set him up with false disciplinary reports and to place him in solitary confinement if he didn’t stop talking to the media and police.

He said he feared for his safety and wanted to be relocated to a different prison.

Last week, the Herald sought clearance to speak with Hempstead in the prison a second time after receiving a letter from him authorizing the return visit.

Jessica Carey, spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections, responded that Hempstead “had a custody classification which prohibits interviews at this time.’’

When pressed further about whether he was being punished, Carey said she had made “a mistake’’ and directed a Herald reporter to fill out a visitation form.

Neither Miami-Dade police nor the Miami-Dade medical examiner responded to requests for information about the Rainey case. Each say his death is still an open investigation, but did not address why it has taken almost two years.

Officer Justin Ranum & Officer Matthew Booth Accused of Using Excessive Force

Two former Daytona Beach police officers are out of a job after a controversial and violent arrest.

An internal affairs investigation revealed former officer Justin Ranum turned off his body camera during an incident under the Seabreeze Bridge.

In June of 2013, police say 37-year-old Christine Chippewa was approached by Ranum and former officer Matthew Booth in the parking lot of the bridge.

After the officers allege they saw Chippewa put a bag of cocaine in her mouth they took her down, but the body camera video doesn't show the take down and Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood says that's a problem.

"Clearly in the middle of the arrest the camera goes blank and then I have a woman with her teeth knocked out of her mouth and headed to the hospital," said Chitwood. "And I have this documentation of 'Oh these things happened,' well why'd your camera go off?"

And according to Chitwood, Ranum turned it off himself.

Meanwhile, after being arrested, Chippewa filed a complaint with the Daytona Beach Police Department claiming that the officers used excessive force during the arrest.
She says Booth put his fingers down her throat, shoved a flashlight in her mouth and kicked her in the head.

"Further investigation into officer Booth and the injuries that this woman suffered are conducive to excessive force and that's not how we operate," said Chitwood.

Chitwood went on to say the actions that were displayed are against station police and that's why both officers are now off the job. Ranum reportedly resigned and Booth was reportedly fired.

Chippewa settled with the city of Daytona Beach for $20,000 and all of her charges were dropped.

Officer Juan Ceecchinelli Sends Explicit Texts to Young Girl Who Had Been Sexually Abused

Miami-Dade Schools Police Department Officer Juan Cecchinelli was supposed to be helping this young girl who had been sexually abused. Instead he took advantage of his authority to play out some sick fantasy in his head.

A local news outlet obtained the texts allegedly sent by Cecchinelli to a teenage girl; they were completely out of line:

“Don’t you like having a secret admirer? Don’t let them know you are chatting with me,” a text believed to be from Cecchinelli said.

“Who my parents?” the teen replied in her text.

“I don’t need any drama,” Cecchinelli allegedly replied.

The student had apparently run away and was sexually assaulted. Cecchinelli was investigating that incident, but instead of helping her, he sent the following texts, the report alleges:

“You say it hurt like a mother!! LOL!!”

“You did it in the front or back?”

“If he knew his (expletive) it shouldn’t hurt either way.”

“I wanna be doing you, but you to damn young.”

“I mean I offered you some (expletive) and you didn’t want it so your doing good.”

According to the report, the teen thought the texts from the officer were “weird.”

If you read the Internal Affairs report, you can see that Cecchinelli went full on disgusting psychopath, well past “weird.” He kept asking her if she bled when she was sexually abused and was obsessed with finding out if the sex was anal or vaginal.

According to the report, Cecchinelli also had sex toys in his police car, but he refused to say why. He resigned during the internal affairs investigation.

Many parents said they were shocked and disgusted by the allegations.

“We do not condone this type of behavior for our employees and hold our certified police officers to the highest ethical standards,” Miami-Dade Schools Police Chief Ian Moffett said in a statement Wednesday.

Apparently the city has no plans to charge him with any crime either, he may only be stripped of his law enforcement certification.

“Upon the employee resigning, we immediately flagged him from our system for future employment and sent all appropriate documents to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for action on the employee’s police certification,” the statement continued. “In fact, just today, the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission found sufficient information from our investigative report to have a probable cause hearing which may eventually lead to sanctions toward the former officer’s certification.”

How could they not find any criminal behavior to justify prison? What about child endangerment? Stalking? Contacting a minor for lewd acts? All of these are criminal acts.

The special treatment that cops receive for criminal acts is disgusting.

Just last year, an Illinois cop was found to have been texting his girlfriend’s 12 year old daughter and asking her for “sexy pictures.” He still has his job!

If you are just a run of the mill sicko, not on the other side of the thin blue line, watch out. Anthony Christopher Sota, was caught sending lewd texts to a 14 year old, he was arrested and charged.

The justice system is a joke in this country.

Officer Michael Valdez Arrest Man for Filming Another Arrest

A Florida man is facing criminal charges after an officer arrested him – all for taping the officer as he attempted to detain another individual.

The incident began on St. Patrick’s Day, when Miami-Dade Officer Michael Valdez arrived at a store in Cutler Bay in order to arrest the owner on misdemeanor traffic charges. Freelance disc jockey Lazaro Estrada was performing a promotional event at the time Valdez arrived, and started recording the arrest on his smartphone.

According to CBS Miami, Estrada said he started taping the incident when the officer threw the handcuffed owner down onto the sidewalk. Valdez can be seen signaling to Estrada to move away, and the disc jockey can be seen stepping back into the store, though he continues recording.

“I backed off into the building and I stayed behind the glass doors,” Estrada said to CBS 4. “Obviously, all I had was my phone in my hands in clear sight…and he only told me once. I did what he told me.”

When more officers arrived at the scene, they told Estrada they needed his information. Estrada asked what he did wrong, and later Valdez criticized Estrada for not listening to his orders.

“The guy’s armed, three times my size, I’m telling you to back off,” Valdez told Estrada. When the officer says Estrada will be arrested, the disc jockey asks what for and the officer’s reply can’t really be heard.

Ultiamtely, Valdez charged Estrada with misdemeanors: obstruction of justice and resisting arrest without violence.

According to CBS Miami, the police report on the incident states Valdez gave “verbal commands to back away and he refused to do so.” Valdez also wrote that he “felt threatened” by Estrada’s presence.

Lawyers for Estrada -- Frank Gaviria and Jonathan Perazzo – claim their client did nothing wrong.

“At no point did he interfere, impede or obstruct the officer in the performance of his duties,” Gaviria told CBS 4. “The video clearly shows Mr. Estrada was a very safe distance away from the officer.”

“Just like police officers have their dash cams, private citizens have their cell phones. There’s no difference,” Perazzo added.

This isn’t the first time police have reacted to being filmed with arrests. Earlier this year, a Massachusetts man was detained and charged with violating the state’s wiretapping rules when he took out his cell phone and recorded an officer cursing while he worked a street detail. The officer stated the resident was “secretly audio taping,” but the man claimed his phone was out in full view.

In a particularly dramatic case last year, California police arrested a man for allegedly disturbing a crime scene with loud music and video recording them. As they attempted to arrest the man, his dog jumped out from the car and was shot dead at the scene.

Meanwhile, police in Dallas, Texas, came out earlier this month and asked citizens to stop filming police, since the behavior was creating “major safety issues.” As RT reported, police argue that it’s not clear who is following them many times and why they are filming their actions.

A 2012 ruling by the Supreme Court, however, upheld the citizen’s right to record on-duty police officers.

Two Broward County Sheriff’s Office Deputies Charged with Conspiracy in Connection with Rothstein Investigation

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office; José A. Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI); and Scott Israel, Sheriff, Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), announce the filing of charges against David Benjamin, 48, of Boca Raton, and Jeff Alan Poole, 47, of Weston, for conspiring to commit crimes in connection with the operation of the former Fort Lauderdale law firm of Rothstein, Rosenfeldt and Adler P.A. (RRA).

In a criminal information filed earlier today, Benjamin was charged with conspiracy to commit extortion and to violate civil rights, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. In a separate criminal information also filed today, Poole was charged with conspiracy to violate civil rights, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 241. The charges allege that, during the relevant time period, both defendants were employed by the Broward Sheriff’s Office. Benjamin was a lieutenant and served as executive officer to then Sheriff Al Lamberti. Poole was a detective assigned to the Strategic Investigations Division.

The charging documents allege that both defendants agreed to utilize their respective positions within BSO unlawfully to further the interests of RRA, its chairman and CEO Scott W. Rothstein, and other persons associated with Rothstein. Specifically, the charging documents allege that Benjamin received approximately $185,000 in money and other things of value from Rothstein and RRA in return for providing his assistance when needed, including arranging with Poole to arrest the ex-wife of an attorney who was engaged in a child custody dispute with her, arranging to use force and threats of force against the boyfriend of an escort who was threatening to expose the illicit relationship that existed between the escort and one of the partners at RRA, and assisting Rothstein in loading cash and jewelry onto a private airplane that was used by Rothstein to flee to Morocco on October 27, 2009, as the Ponzi scheme being conducted through RRA was beginning to unravel.

U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, “David Benjamin and Jeff Poole used their official positions as law enforcement officers to commit civil rights abuses to further the interests of Scott Rothstein and others associated with Rothstein. When law enforcement officers betray the trust of the people, it strikes at the very core of our democracy. The informations filed today charging Benjamin and Poole should serve as a reminder that no one is above the law. When law enforcement officers violate the public’s trust, they will be held accountable. Benjamin and Poole are the 19th and 20th accomplices, respectively, to be held accountable in Rothstein’s $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme.”

“When David Benjamin and Jeff Alan Poole began to use their official positions to further the illegal schemes of Rothstein and his cronies, they crossed a very bright line,” said William J. Maddalena, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami. “Their criminal misconduct undermined the public’s trust in law enforcement. As such, the FBI will continue to work with our partners to remove those law enforcement officers who violate the law. The FBI, in particular, would like to thank BSO for their close partnership investigating this matter.”

IRS-CI SAC José A. Gonzalez stated, “Law enforcement officers and individuals in positions of our citizens’ trust are held to an even higher standard than the general public. It’s a sad day when a lieutenant and a detective of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office who are sworn to uphold the law, allegedly misuse their positions by engaging in criminal acts. IRS-CI, together with its law enforcement partners, will continue to ensure that no one operates above the law and are held accountable for their actions.”

BSO Sheriff Scott Israel stated, “Every time a law enforcement officer is implicated in a crime, it’s a blow to our profession. This indictment tarnishes the image of honest, hard-working law enforcement officers everywhere. My immediate action after taking office was to suspend Deputy Poole and Lieutenant Benjamin based on an ongoing federal investigation. I applaud the diligence and professionalism displayed by our federal partners, and we will continue working closely with them to ensure justice is served.”

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, IRS-CI, and BSO. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence D. LaVecchio, Paul F. Schwartz, and Jeffrey N. Kaplan.

Officer Ben Erskine Arrested for DUI

A Cocoa police officer is off the streets after being arrested for DUI.

Cocoa police said Officer Ben Erskine was pulled over for speeding in late February and charged with driving under the influence.

Officer Erskine has been on administrative duty since then.

He is a been with the Cocoa Police Department for six years.

The State Attorney's Office is investigating the case.

Former Officer William Garcia Found Guilty of Credit Card Fraud

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announce the conviction of William Garcia, 39, a detective with the Sweetwater Police Department.

On April 21, 2014, a jury in U.S. District Court found Garcia guilty on 12 counts. Specifically, the defendant was found guilty of one count conspiring to produce, use, or traffic in one or more counterfeit access devices, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371; one count of use of a counterfeit access device, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(1); and ten counts of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A(a)(1). Garcia faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison.

At trial, the United States presented evidence documenting Garcia’s improper friendship with a former confidential source. The confidential source, a convicted felon, provided Garcia and another former South Miami Detective Richard Munoz with counterfeit credit cards. During the trial, the source, Munoz, and others testified about Garcia’s possession and use of those cards during shopping trips to Miami-Dade County shopping malls in 2010 and early 2011. During a meeting in late December 2010, Garcia was recorded providing his own personal credit card for use in stealing account numbers and manufacturing counterfeit cards.

Additional evidence at trial showed that Garcia was caught on videotape bringing eight counterfeit credit cards to the residence of the confidential source. During that and other recorded meetings, Garcia explained that he had taken the counterfeit cards from work and that he would share them with the confidential source. During the next two weeks, Garcia was recorded discussing his use of the cards at restaurants, movies, and a mall. Garcia’s presence during the transactions was further documented through use of phone records, placing Garcia’s cell phone in the area of each transaction at the time it occurred.

After the verdict, U.S. District Court Judge Federico Moreno remanded Garcia pending sentencing on June 26, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. in Miami. Munoz, who himself pleaded guilty on March 13, 2014, to related fraud charges, is presently set for sentencing in front of Judge Moreno on May 9, 2014.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI Miami Area Corruption Task Force, the FBI Miami Cyber Task Force, and the Sweetwater Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Lacosta and Sarah Schall.

Corrections Officer John Padgett Charged with Impregnating Teen Cousin

A corrections officer in Baker County was arrested Wednesday for allegedly impregnating his 15-year-old cousin.

John Wesley Padgett, 30, was charged with lewd and lascivious battery on a person under 16 years old, a second-degree felony, according to the Baker County Sheriff's Office.

The crime was reported by the victim's mother in January, according to BCSO.

The victim, now 16 years old, was a 10th grade student when the alleged encounter occurred in August 2013.

Padgett, who is married, works at the Baker Correctional Institute Department of Corrections in Sanderson.

The alleged victim told investigators with the BCSO that she had sex with a stranger who gave her a ride home from school.

During a call recorded by BCSO, Padgett admitted to the victim's mother that he had sex with the victim, according to the offense report.

When interviewed by investigators, Padgett denied any inappropriate sexual relations, according to the report.

A DNA oral swab was taken from Padgett and placed into evidence. A test will be conducted on the child once it is born in May, according to BCSO.

After his arrest Padgett was booked in the Baker County Detention Center.

Officer Ryan Robinson Arrested for Drunk Driving

A Miami-Dade Police officer has been arrested after allegedly driving drunk and crashing into a parked car, striking a shopping cart with two children inside and attempting to flee.

According to Miami-Dade Police, last Saturday, at around 8:22 p.m., 41-year-old Miami-Dade Police officer Ryan Robinson was off-duty when he was driving his 1997 GMC truck inside a shopping plaza in Cutler Bay. He struck the grocery store shopping cart with two children sitting inside after he had hit a parked car. "He hit the cart, and he still kept going," said the father of the children, Manny Garcia. "He was trying to get away from the accident."

Robinson hit the shopping cart the father was pushing with his two small girls, ages 3 and 6, inside of it. The father said the shopping cart fell to its side and the two small girls fell out and suffered minor injuries. "My whole world stopped right there," said Garcia. "I see my two kids on the floor."

Patricia Menzies prevented the officer from leaving scene. "I saw the girls on the floor, and I heard the screaming," she said.

She said she was determined to not let him leave the parking lot and blocked his car in, just as he tried to accelerate from the scene.

The mother of the two girls said the whole ordeal was very frightening. "It was her leg, and my other daughter who is in school right now, it was her head and on her cheek and nose, but they are both fine."

Garcia said he could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from Robinson. He could also see his red, bloodshot, watery eyes. "He was so drunk that he just fell on the floor, so I was like, yo, sit down. He was like, 'Oh, I'm sorry.' I just told him, yo, sit down."

When police arrived on the scene they arrested Robinson for driving under the influence. In the arrest affidavit, police wrote they noticed an "odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath and bloodshot watery eyes."

Garcia recorded cell phone video of the driver, as he took a sobriety test. "Look, he can't even lift his leg," a voice could be heard saying on the video.

Garcia said his daughters now have a fear of police. "I couldn't believe it, the people that are supposed to protect us are the ones that are hurting us."

In 2007, Robinson was part of a police-involved shooting where two unarmed men were killed in Miami after they were pulled over for speeding. He was exonerated by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's office in that case.

In 2013, he was temporarily relieved of duty after a bottle of vodka was found in his patrol car. In this case, he has been relieved of duty with pay and faces DUI charges.

Officer Michael Baggett Charged with Domestic Violence

A St. Cloud police officer is under criminal and internal investigations after he was accused of domestic violence, authorities said today.

Officer Michael Baggett was arrested today and charged with domestic violence after he was served with a domestic-violence injunction, St. Cloud Sgt. Denise Roberts said in an email.

Baggett was immediately relieved of his duty as a law enforcement officer and was placed on administrative leave pending a criminal and internal investigation, Roberts said..

Baggett has been employed with the St. Cloud Police Department since June 2011.

He was taken to the Osceola County Jail, where he is being held without bond.

His photo wasn't released. Other details aren't available.

"This is an ongoing 'open' investigation; more information will be released at a later time when it becomes available," Roberts said.

Officer Michael Stavris Accused of Setting up Fake Facebook Account to Solicit Young Boys

Michael Stavris, the Bunnell police officer who was arrested and accused of setting up a fake Facebook account to solicit young boys for sexually explicit pictures, was using his daughter's identity, according to his ex-girlfriend.

Stavris' ex-girlfriend also has an injunction for protection against domestic violence placed against the police officer, who has been suspended without pay. The woman claims Stavris has threatened suicide unless she agreed to continue their relationship.

Stavris, 30, was arrested and charged Tuesday on two counts of computer pornography and one count of criminal use of personal identification information. His bond was set at $125,000. He has been released from the Flagler County Inmate Facility.

The injunction is temporary, and a judge is expected to issue a ruling on April 3.

Stavris was a police officer in Edgewater from 2008 to 2009 before leaving to take a position with the Duval County School District, where he worked as a school security officer from 2009 to 2010. His job had him patrolling school campuses after school hours and on the weekends. He had no interaction with children.

Former Officer Henry Arroyo Jr Accused of Molesting Girl

A former Key West police officer is accused of molesting a girl for more than a year.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Henry Arroyo Jr., 41, turned himself in on lewd and lascivious molestation charges Monday morning.

According to the FDLE report, Arroyo sexually abused the girl when she was 10 years old and continued to do so for more than a year.

An investigation began in December after the girl, now 14, reported he had abused her.

According to the report, the girl claimed Arroyo would force her to touch his genitals.

Arroyo was being held at the Monroe County Detention Center on $100,000 bond.

Foster Teen Accuses Det. Oldy Ochoa of Sexual Abuse

A foster teen's allegations included in a search warrant the Pembroke Pines clerk’s office released Monday read like a script for porn.

The characters: A veteran Miami Beach detective and a teenage girl with a criminal record trying to graduate from high school.  The dark twist: She was in foster care and was living in Miami Beach Det. Oldy Ochoa's home with his wife -- a retired Miami Beach police officer. They have three sons and two step-sons.

Pembroke Pines Police Capt. Al Xiques said the investigation is ongoing.

"We are waiting on the results of DNA tests," Xiques said. "Those usually take a few weeks."

It was a day before Valentine’s Day. The two were in an unmarked 2013 silver Ford Fusion Miami Beach police car with dark tinted windows. Ochoa was taking the teen to Florida Career College, 7891 Pines Blvd., in Pembroke Pines, when he allegedly decided to park "in a secluded alley."

They kissed "in a passionate manner," the girl said. Oral sex followed.  The girl "straddled on top" of the officer who was in the driver's seat.  He didn't wear a condom and used a towel to clean himself.

The girl said she and the detective, a 24-year-veteran with Miami Beach police, "were often flirtatious with each other" via e-mail and Facebook. He also used his mobile phone to take pictures of her "while she posed," a search warrant said.

There was a second time when he used a condom, but he dropped it on the floor, the girl told police March 4. Six days later, Pembroke Pines police detectives took DNA swabs and a towel from the Miami Beach police car.

"We are cooperating with the Pembroke Pines Police Department to make sure there is a thorough investigation," Miami Beach Chief Raymond Martinez said in a statement earlier this month.

The Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Paige Patterson-Hughes said in an e-mail earlier this month the abuse report and the girl's status were confidential.

The Ochoa family declined to comment. And Miami Beach police said the detective remains suspended with pay pending the results of the investigation.

Officer Michelle Turner Charged with Sexual Battery

A veteran North Port police officer was arrested Thursday night on charges of sexual battery and false imprisonment, while a fellow officer took his own life before a warrant for his arrest was served.

Police crews were at the North Port home of the late officer Ricky Urbina well into the night, investigating his death.

The veteran police officer was about to be arrested on the same charges as his fellow officer, Michelle Turner.

The investigation into their misconduct, started in early March.

"I had a feeling he was involved. Only because his police car hadn't been here for the past couple weeks. Crazy anything like this goes on in such a small town," a neighbor on Urbina's street told 10 News.

"He was a nice guy."

In the heavily redacted affidavit, the victim, (who, in accordance to our 10 News Crime Guidelines, will not be named), claims she was handcuffed by Officer Turner and taken into a bedroom at a birthday party.

That's where the alleged sexual assault involving both officers took place. The details are so graphic, 10 News has chosen not to reveal them.

Urbina was on duty at the time of the party, and Turner was not.

In a press conference today, the Sarasota Sheriff's Office explained there was an agreement in place: If either officer would be arrested, they'd be notified ahead of time. Turner complied and was taken into custody.

Urbina had one request. To be arrested at a location separate from his home, but as detectives were en route to the location, there was a shooting at his home. Urbina was found dead.

The North Port Police Chief is scheduled to hold a press conference at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. 10 News will have more information as it becomes available.

Corrections Officer Mark Pronovost Arrested for Child Porn

Officials say a man surrendered peacefully after barricading himself inside an Orange City home around 11 a.m. Tuesday morning.

State and federal Internet crimes agents showed up to serve a search warrant at Mark Pronovost's home.  Pronovost, 32, happens to be a corrections officer at the Volusia County Jail. Investigators said they recently learned child porn was being sent to, or from, Pronovost's computer. As they were trying to serve the search warrant, they said Pronovost was initially very cooperative.

"He became uncooperative at some point, grabbed one of the children -- the smallest one -- and barricaded himself in a room and armed himself with a firearm, said Tony Rodriguez with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Hostage crisis negotiators talked with Pronovost, convincing him to let the child go.  After awhile they say Pronovost handed over his gun and surrendered.

"He made no threats toward law enforcement.  He said he did not wish to hurt law enforcement, and we do not believe he would have hurt any of his children either," Rodriguez said.

Pronovost was arrested and taken to Seminole County Jail, because of his ties to the Volusia County Jail.

Detective Oldy Ochoa Jr Arrested for Sexual Battery on Minor

Oldy Ochoa Jr. allegedly met the girl while working on a case. The two flirted on Facebook and e-mail, and -- according to the girl -- the Miami Beach Police detective photographed his young muse as she posed suggestively.

According to a search warrant, the girl had a troubled past and spent a lot of time in the police department with officers.

Now the 17-year-old is saying that Ochoa sexually battered her on two occasions in his police car. The first incident allegedly occurred behind a strip mall in Pembroke Pines, which is where Ochoa lives. The girl told police that a second incident occurred in a wooded part of Northwest Miami-Dade.

Ochoa has been suspended with pay as police look into the accusations. His police car has been mined for DNA samples, and the investigation is ongoing.

"We take these allegations very seriously," Miami Beach Chief Raymond Martinez says. "We are cooperating with the Pembroke Pines Police Department to make sure there is a thorough investigation."

Ochoa joined the beach police force in 1991 and started off small. In 1993, the Miami Herald reported that he was deployed to a city commission meeting in case an angry man in crutches came by to disturb the peace. But as he became a veteran officer, he graduated to homicide, where he apparently worked on some high profile murder cases, including the probe into the murder of transexual woman Rene "Rosita" Hidalgo a year-and-a-half ago.

Officer Rey Munoz Resigns After Approaching Women and Asking for Phone Numbers

A Melbourne police officer has been forced to resign after an investigation showed he was approaching women in parking lots while on duty and asking for their phone numbers.

A memo from a police department lieutenant says Officer Rey Munoz approached several women in the parking lot of LA Fitness on Feb. 19.  Police reviewed Munoz's onboard video and saw him speaking with three different women.  One of the women described it later to police as a "creepy" encounter.

Dashcam video: Cop accused of asking women for their numbers

A written statement by one of the women said Munoz asked her age.

"He said he wanted to know because I was beautiful. He then asked for my phone number. I told him I was spoken for," she said.

The memo says Munoz was warned about such behavior after doing the same thing at a Walmart parking lot in December where, according to the memo, Munoz had approached the niece of a police sergeant and asked for her phone number.

"There's no place for it here at the Melbourne Police Department," said Sgt. Sheridan Shelley, with Melbourne police.

A police spokesman says Melbourne Police Chief Steve Mimbs met with Munoz, who was a one-year probationary employee, and asked for his resignation, which was given.

"During that time, it's very crucial for that person to show what kind of character they have," said Shelley.

He'd been employed less than a year.

Officer Richard Irizzary Arrested by DEA

A  Titusville Police Officer on administrative leave since January was taken into custody Thursday by DEA agents and the Titusville Police Internal Affairs Investigator according to Titusville Police in a statement.

Richard Irizzary, a patrol officer since March 2010, was taken into custody as he arrived at police headquarters Thursday morning for a scheduled interview.

Titusville Police said Irizzary was arrested after he was indicted on federal charges on Wednesday.

Police said Irizzary’s badge and gun were seized back in January when he was placed on administrative leave.

The Federal charges summarized include: To Aid & Abet the Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substance while armed with a Firearm; and Use of a Communication Device to Aid the Possession of Controlled Substances.

Titusville Police Chief John Lau and other members of his command staff have been working directly with the DEA since January when the department first learned of the allegations.

“We were appalled and shocked when we learned of these allegations and immediately offered our complete cooperation”, said Titusville Police Chief John Lau.

“We have been working in tandem with DEA investigators on this isolated incident that does not involve any other department member” said Lau.

“The law enforcement profession has absolutely no room for employees with no integrity and the second a police officer breaks their oath and commits a crime, they are no longer a police officer”

The department will be able to comment on the specifics of the internal investigation when it has concluded, which could take several weeks. Irizzary was taken directly to the federal courthouse in Orlando by DEA agents after his arrest. The federal charges in the indictment carry a minimum mandatory prison sentence of 10 years.

Titusville Police said they will move to suspend him without pay after a due process hearing. The agency said they cannot move to terminate Irizzary until the completion of an Internal Investigation.