FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A sheriff's deputy is on restricted duty after officials say he dragged a mentally incompetent woman by the shackles around her ankles through a courthouse hallway.
The incident was caught on video Monday morning. Broward Sheriff Scott Israel questioned the conduct of Deputy Christopher Johnson and said the agency's internal affairs unit would investigate.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that attorney Bill Gelin recorded the deputy dragging 28-year-old Dasyl Jeanette Rios down a third-floor hallway. The woman sobbed and pleaded with the deputy. She had just been declared mentally incompetent during a trespassing and criminal mischief case.
Officials say Rios had argued with a female deputy when Johnson interceded.
Public Defender Howard Finkelstein called the act criminal and says he was furious when he saw the video.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
