Osceola deputy charged more than a year after suspect burnt in Taser-sparked fire during arrest
Osceola County Deputy David Crawford is now formally charged stemming from a 2022 arrest in which the deputy is accused of starting a fire with a Taser which left a suspect badly burned across most of his body.
More body cameras coming for Osceola County deputies, sheriff’s office says
he Osceola County Sheriff’s Office says they plan to issue more body-worn cameras to their deputies this year. A spokesperson for Sheriff Marcos Lopez says that since taking office, he has ensured all members on patrol have body cameras, but there are other scenarios where sworn personnel are on the job without this equipment.
Deadly deputy shooting at Osceola Target leads to push for transparency; questions remain
In April, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez held a brief news conference to announce his deputies had been involved in a deadly shooting in the parking lot of a Target, offering almost no details about what had happened or what led to the shooting.
3-year-old killed, child injured when Poinciana mother made them drink bleach, sheriff says
A 3-year-old died and an 8-year-old was injured after their mother forced them to drink bleach before trying to kill herself outside a Poinciana church Sunday, Osceola Sheriff Marcos Lopez said in a news briefing Tuesday.
Lawyer for family of man shot, killed by Osceola deputies questions why bodycams were not worn
The lawyer representing the family of the man who was killed when two Osceola County deputies opened fire in the parking lot of Target is questioning why none of the responding members of law enforcement were wearing body cameras.
Osceola School Board member proposes task force after video shows deputy slamming student
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A week after a video went viral showing an Osceola County school resource deputy slamming a student into the ground at Liberty High School the school board addressed the video during a meeting Tuesday night. Tuesday marked the first school board meeting since the incident. School Board Member Julius Melendez said he plans to announce the creation of a task force that will work to draw up a policy to address what actions school resource officers can and cannot take. Melendez added that this isn’t just in response to the incident at Liberty High School or the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. He said he plans to have the task force meet four times to work on creating the policy before it’s presented to the school board.
FDLE seeks witnesses, videos after Liberty High School student slammed to ground
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Monday that is seeking witnesses of those who may have video that shows a school resource officer throwing a student to the ground last week at Liberty High School. A video posted on social media shows Osceola County sheriff’s Deputy Ethan Fournier, a school resource officer at Liberty High School near Kissimmee, slamming Taylor Bracey, 16, while trying to restrain her. In the video, Fournier can be seen placing Bracey in handcuffs while a second deputy stands over them. SRO Deputy Ethan Fournier body-slammed her this week, leaving her unconscious as she hit the hard concrete floor of her Kissimmee FL high school. Implement school-wide restorative justice at Liberty High School in order to create a nurturing school climate.
Osceola County deputy under investigation after video shows him slamming student
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A criminal investigation has been opened after an Osceola County deputy was caught on video slamming a high school student to the ground. Moments later, the deputy can be seen placing the student in handcuffs while a second deputy stands over them. Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez addressed the video in a news conference Wednesday, saying the agency has decided to turn over the investigation as a criminal investigation to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The female student went after another student and the situation escalated, according to the sheriff’s office. In the video, it shows the deputy taking the student to the ground and placing handcuffs on her.
Gov. DeSantis activates National Guard due to possible protests
Ron DeSantis issued an executive order Friday night activating the Florida National Guard in response to possible protests this weekend. The order states the National Guard will work with local law enforcement. Sheriff Marco Lopez said he has 56 deputies ready to go. Locally in Orlando, Mayor Buddy Dyer told News 6 he continues to monitor any reports of possible protests. [RELATED: States declare emergencies, close capitols ahead of rallies]The AP reports some investigators in the FBI are also on alert for armed protests.
Osceola deputies ready to assist in Tallahassee if riots form
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said he has deputies ready, waiting to be deployed to Tallahassee, should they be needed. He told News 6 they could get word as early as Friday, to be sent to support law enforcement at the capitol. “We’re sending our Emergency Response Team, our ERT Unit, 12 of them, to go up and assist in however they can,” Lopez said. He said the Florida Sheriff’s Association reached out to his office at the request of the Leon County Sheriff. As to the threat of unrest locally in Osceola County, Sheriff Lopez told News 6 they haven’t been alerted to anything.