LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – An Orange County sheriff’s deputy has been fired after he was arrested Wednesday when investigators say he drove away from an attempted traffic stop in Lake County.
Juan Morales-Padilla, a sheriff’s deputy since September 2022, was seen by Lake County sheriff’s deputies illegally passing an SUV near the intersection of Fifth Street and State Road 50 in Groveland, according to an arrest affidavit.
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Dash camera footage shows a deputy trying to pull over a motorcycle rider identified as Morales-Padilla. The video shows the rider speeding away and the Lake County deputy eventually gives up the chase.
Before he escaped, the deputies said they were able to run his license plate, which gave them his name and address.
Deputies arrived at the nearby home and knocked for several minutes, attempting to get Morales-Padilla to answer the door, according to the affidavit. A deputy then went into his backyard where he saw Morales-Padilla standing by the front door through a sliding glass backdoor, records show.
Morales-Padilla then waved at the deputy before leaving the room. A few minutes later, he opened the front door wearing a different set of clothes.
Body cam footage shows Morales-Padilla in cuffs, while they asked him if he was going to try to run away again.
After being detained, Morales-Padilla can be heard in the video telling deputies he worked for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said he then admitted to making a “bad choice” before he refused to speak further.
Morales-Padilla was immediately fired from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and is facing charges of fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer and resisting a law enforcement officer without violence.
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