Battery Charges against sheriff's deputy jeopardize DUI cases.
- By Cops Busted
- Published 04/24/2009
- Bad Cops
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Cops Busted
Cops Busted is not about bashing the Police, but that few bad apples. For the most part, most Police Officers are respectable, but in current years I am not happy with the trend and course Law Enforcement has taken. Did they forget they are Public Servants - To SERVE and PROTECT! Cops are not above the law, nor are they better than other people.
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Dozens of DUI cases in Broward County have been dropped or downgraded because a former sheriff's deputy is accused of inappropriately touching women during traffic stops.
Charles E. Grady Jr., a nearly 12-year veteran with the agency who worked with the DUI task force, resigned Wednesday. He had been suspended since December, when the Sheriff's Office began an investigation.
Broward prosecutors filed charges Monday accusing Grady of two misdemeanor counts of battery for incidents reported during traffic stops last year.
The reported Sept. 19 incident stemmed from Deputy Grady's DUI arrest of a 38-year-old Boca Raton woman. She was arrested at 3:17 a.m. not far from Solid Gold strip club, where she worked as a dancer.
And on December 19, a 20-year-old Coral Springs woman was stopped at 2:45 a.m. She later complained to Fort Lauderdale police that she "experienced inappropriate contact" from Deputy Grady during the traffic stop.
Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Leljedal declined to provide details about the nature of the batteries. "The misdemeanor battery charge would indicate that there was deliberate and unwelcome touching," he said.
In a statement, Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti said: "I'm extremely disappointed. It disturbs me when any law enforcement officer is accused
of tarnishing the badge."
A preliminary case count shows Grady was involved in more than 200 pending DUI cases, said Ron Ishoy, spokesman for the Broward State Attorney's Office.
"Dozens of cases have been affected so far, either with a changed charge or a dropped charge," he said. "We have been reviewing each of those cases to determine their strengths and weaknesses with or without his testimony. Some cases have been, or will need to be, dropped."
Todd Onore, defense attorney for the Boca Raton woman, said his client's case is pending and he hopes prosecutors will offer her a reduced charge.
Grady is scheduled for arraignment May 13 before County Judge Robert Diaz.
My Opinion: Everyone, even cops, are INNOCENT until proven Guilty, those are the right we have. So why are they already dropping charges on Drunk Driver because this Deputy is accused of doing something wrong? If he did do something wrong, then he will have his day in court. But what if the Drunk Drivers, who were arrested for Drunk Driving were drunk and finding an excuse to get out, and then the State Attorney dropped all the cases for no reason?
In this case, I find the state attorney to be dropping the ball. This Deputy still has rights, let's not make him guilty before his trial. Remember, these were drunk women, one who was a stripper, accusing a 12 year veteran of inappropriate conduct. I have my doubts!
Charles E. Grady Jr., a nearly 12-year veteran with the agency who worked with the DUI task force, resigned Wednesday. He had been suspended since December, when the Sheriff's Office began an investigation.
Broward prosecutors filed charges Monday accusing Grady of two misdemeanor counts of battery for incidents reported during traffic stops last year.
The reported Sept. 19 incident stemmed from Deputy Grady's DUI arrest of a 38-year-old Boca Raton woman. She was arrested at 3:17 a.m. not far from Solid Gold strip club, where she worked as a dancer.
And on December 19, a 20-year-old Coral Springs woman was stopped at 2:45 a.m. She later complained to Fort Lauderdale police that she "experienced inappropriate contact" from Deputy Grady during the traffic stop.
Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Leljedal declined to provide details about the nature of the batteries. "The misdemeanor battery charge would indicate that there was deliberate and unwelcome touching," he said.
In a statement, Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti said: "I'm extremely disappointed. It disturbs me when any law enforcement officer is accused
A preliminary case count shows Grady was involved in more than 200 pending DUI cases, said Ron Ishoy, spokesman for the Broward State Attorney's Office.
"Dozens of cases have been affected so far, either with a changed charge or a dropped charge," he said. "We have been reviewing each of those cases to determine their strengths and weaknesses with or without his testimony. Some cases have been, or will need to be, dropped."
Todd Onore, defense attorney for the Boca Raton woman, said his client's case is pending and he hopes prosecutors will offer her a reduced charge.
Grady is scheduled for arraignment May 13 before County Judge Robert Diaz.
My Opinion: Everyone, even cops, are INNOCENT until proven Guilty, those are the right we have. So why are they already dropping charges on Drunk Driver because this Deputy is accused of doing something wrong? If he did do something wrong, then he will have his day in court. But what if the Drunk Drivers, who were arrested for Drunk Driving were drunk and finding an excuse to get out, and then the State Attorney dropped all the cases for no reason?
In this case, I find the state attorney to be dropping the ball. This Deputy still has rights, let's not make him guilty before his trial. Remember, these were drunk women, one who was a stripper, accusing a 12 year veteran of inappropriate conduct. I have my doubts!
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1 Response to "Battery Charges against sheriff's deputy jeopardize DUI cases." 
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said this on 08 Jun 2009 12:49:49 PM MST
Broward deputy's plea deal sparks criticism
Did former BSO Deputy Charles Grady get special treatment in his battery case? Prosecutors stand by their actions, but others say more details should have been made public.
Photos BY DIANA MOSKOVITZ
dmoskovitz@MiamiHerald.com
The allegations were troubling: Two women said a Broward Sheriff's deputy got them alone during late-night traffic stops and touched or joked about their breasts. A third said the same deputy forced her to perform a sexual act as he held a gun to her head.
Ultimately, on May 7, former BSO Deputy Charles E. Grady, 39, pleaded no contest to two counts of misdemeanor battery. His plea agreement also precludes him from being a law enforcement officer again in Florida, and guaranteed he would not be prosecuted for the sex-at-gunpoint allegation.
But, unlike a civilian suspected of similar acts, Grady was never arrested. He never spent time in jail. And his court case file shed little light on the case, initially containing minimal paperwork saying only he did ``actually and intentionally touch or strike another person.''
Prosecutor David Schulson, who handled the case, said Grady received no special treatment. He said the Broward state attorney's office achieved its goals by halting Grady's Florida law enforcement career and ensuring that the misdemeanors would show up on future background checks.
But others say the treatment given to Grady -- and the lack of disclosure about the scope of the allegations -- perpetuated public skepticism that some people get special treatment.
Tony Alfieri, director of the Center for Ethics and Public Service at the University of Miami, said the case highlights several failures.
''First, you have the serious and traumatic injury to the victims,'' Alfieri said. ``Two, you have the institutional injury to law enforcement in Broward County by the failure of internal controls and accountability at the BSO.
``And third, the people of Broward County are now rightfully skeptical about the candor and accountability of the BSO.''
Grady spent about 12 years with BSO. He earned strong performance evaluations and drew praise for his high number of DUI arrests.
17 INVESTIGATIONS
He also was the subject of 17 internal affairs investigations -- including separate allegations of battery and molestation. Of those investigations, six resulted in administrative charges, mostly for service-related violations such as insubordination and distraction on duty, according to BSO records. The allegations of battery and molestation were deemed insufficient for charges.
Then, in late 2008, BSO investigators were faced with another string of allegations.
One woman said Grady arrested her for DUI in September while she drove home from work at the Solid Gold strip club in Oakland Park. When he had her alone in a holding cell, Grady pulled down her shirt and looked at her breasts, according to a BSO investigative report.
The woman also said he asked her out on a date, which she refused.
A second woman said that a month later, Grady stoped her car while she drove home from work at the same strip club. She said he forced her at gunpoint to perform oral sex, according to BSO documents.
A third woman said that in December, Grady stopped her on the way home from work at the Fort Lauderdale night club Christopher's, reached inside her car and pulled on her bra strap. He asked her if ''those were real,'' according to an e-mail the woman's husband sent to law enforcement after the incident.
DETAILS KEPT PRIVATE
The BSO launched internal investigations into the three allegations and forwarded the findings to prosecutors. But almost all of those details were kept out of the public eye when the criminal charges were disclosed.
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