A Broward sheriff’s deputy who also co-starred on a TV cop show with his police dog, was arrested Saturday.
A Broward sheriff’s deputy and reality TV star was arrested Saturday for
assaulting a teenager who annoyed his girlfriend, the sheriff’s office said.
The deputy, Gerald Wengert, 33, was booked at the Broward County jail on
Saturday, according to a news release from the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
Wengert, a dog-handler who appeared on The Learning Channel’s Unleashed: K-9
Broward County, was charged with battery, falsifying records and official
misconduct. He was suspended without pay.
BSO says Wengert “acted inappropriately” during a traffic stop in Cooper
City in December of 2010, when he arrested Mark Visconti, then 17, for
resisting arrest and battery on a law enforcement officer. Wengert said he saw
Visconti backing up on Stirling Road, which prompted him to arrest the teen.
According to an arrest affidavit submitted by BSO internal affairs
investigators, however, what happened was this:
Visconti was driving with a friend when he spotted two other friends
walking on Stirling Road. He backed up and pulled onto Southwest 99th Terrace,
parallel with two other cars. Wengert’s girlfriend, Jessica Mercer, was driving
nearby and became angry at Visconti. She told Visconti she was calling the
cops, when she was actually on the phone with Wengert.
Wengert and Mercer remained on the phone while Visconti and his friends
entered a nearby Wendy’s plaza. Wengert was seen speeding by at least two
witnesses. He arrived in the plaza while still on the phone with Mercer, but
confronted Visconti, who had come out of the restaurant and was sitting in his
car. Wengert followed Visconti out of the parking lot, prompting the teen to
pull over about half a mile from the plaza.
Wengert came up to the car, yelling expletives at Visconti. The deputy
opened the door and threw Visconti up against the side of his car. Visconti
tried to calm Wengert down, but the deputy punched him several times, while
Visconti never hit Wengert, according to a witness. Wengert put Visconti in a
headlock and released his police dog on him.
The deputy then called for assistance. Visconti was taken to the
hospital because his face and legs were hurt.
“When we get a complaint, or there is some sign of wrongdoing, we
investigate and take action if policies were violated or laws were broken,”
Sheriff Al Lamberti said in the news release. “It bothers me that we have
nearly 6,000 dedicated employees doing the right thing every day and people
hear more about the mistakes and misdeeds of a few. But regardless of the
effect, we are not going to sweep anything under the rug.”