Suspended deputy at center of excessive force investigation, federal lawsuits
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. -
Broward Sheriff Deputy Gerry Wengert once starred on a reality TV show called "Unleashed: K-9 Broward County," but now he's playing the lead role in two federal lawsuits and a State Attorney's Office investigation, all involving alleged excessive force and hard-to-watch injuries.
Wengert was suspended in July for his actions in a case involving Robert Arciola, whose face is shown grotesquely swollen in his mug shot after Wengert admittedly struck him repeatedly after a February aggravated assault arrest.
Wengert wrote in reports that when he decided to replace Arciola's handcuffs, the suspect struck him in the chest, forcing Wengert to punch him twice in the face. But another deputy present later came forward claiming that Wengert was in the wrong, prompting the investigation and the suspension of Wengert and three other deputies who were there when Arciola was injured.
*And then there was the criminal charges, filed by BSO, that he improperly sicced a dog on a teenager who had a run-in on the road with his girlfriend and then lied about the incident in reports. When he was acquitted by a jury, he was reinstated and put back on the road. A BSO spokeswoman said that without a conviction the agency had no grounds to terminate him.
But Brill alleges in his lawsuit that Israel is culpable for allowing Wengert to remain on the force.
"This man has no right to be wearing that badge," said Brill. "This man has no right to be calling himself a law enforcement officer and running the streets the way he has. It’s despicable."
Warning graphic photos: http://www.local10.com/news/suspended-deputy-at-center-of-excessive-force-investigation-federal-lawsuits/35340586
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