No charges against Orange County deputy in road rage case

OCSO conducting its own internal investigation

CLERMONT, Fla. – The Office of the State Attorney decided not to charge an Orange County sheriff's deputy in a case of road rage, according to records obtained by News 6.

The allegations were made by Clermont resident Richard Valentin in March.

Valentin told News 6 he was on his way home from work on March 8, trying to make a left-hand turn onto a busy Highway 50 in Clermont, when a white Kia honked at him.

Valentin said he finally made the turn and the white Kia followed him.

"I sped up just a little bit, and he's right behind me," Valentin said. "I say, 'OK, this guy's tailing me.'"

Valentin said the Kia followed him very closely through several intersections and onto Citrus Tower Boulevard. He said the car finally decided to pass him, and that's when he saw the driver.

"I see somebody pull out a gun. He pulled up the gun and pointed (it) straight at me. I saw the gun right in my face," he said.

The driver turned out to be Joseph Ayala, an off-duty Orange County sheriff's deputy on his way home from work.

He claimed Valentin was the aggressor.

In their investigative report, News 6 discovered the state attorney's office did not have the audio recordings of the police interviews.

"Clermont PD Detective Eric Lane interviewed both parties on scene," the report states. "His audio recorder malfunctioned, so no recording of the interviews is available."

Prosecutors took a matter of days to decide not to press charges.

"There is insufficient evidence to prove any offense against either man beyond and to the exclusion of every reasonable doubt," the report states.

News 6 asked the Orange County Sheriff's Office about their internal investigation into Ayala. They said they're still looking at the evidence, and the investigation is still open.​


About the Author:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

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