Florida deputy fired after allegedly forcing woman to expose her breasts

Ashley White | Tallahassee Democrat

TALLAHASSEE — A sheriff's deputy in Florida was fired Saturday after being accused of coercing a ride-along participant to show him her breasts.

Leon County sheriff’s Deputy Jarrett Broughton was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was hired by Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 4, 2016, and had no other disciplinary issues with the office.

“The Leon County Sheriff’s Office has a zero tolerance for its employees violating the public’s trust," Sheriff Walt McNeil said in a statement. "Once we became aware of the situation, we took immediate action to investigate the allegation. We take our obligation to protect citizens seriously and any abuse of power will be met with swift consequences.”

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred Sept. 20 but the Sheriff’s Office didn't learn about it until Thursday when the victim, who was interested in law enforcement work, decided to do another ride-along.

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She said she didn't report it at the time because she was just "going to forget about it." She feared making a report would keep her from getting a future job at the Sheriff's Office, court records said.

According to the victim, during the September ride-along, Broughton drove to Apalachicola National Forest. While there he grabbed his baton and asked her to expose her breasts. She said she feared he would hit her, so she complied.

They got back in the patrol car, and he told her not to tell anyone about what happened. Then Broughton drove her back to the Sheriff's Office. The victim ended the ride-along by saying she had a long drive home.

Broughton’s firing is the second of a local law enforcement officer in less than a week. Tallahassee Police Officer Vincent Crump was fired Sunday after allegedly sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman the night before during a traffic stop. Crump so far has not been charged with any crime and no details have been made public.