PORT ST. LUCIE — A deputy with the Martin County Sheriff's Office was arrested March 11 after Port St. Lucie Police Department officers responded to a domestic dispute involving a juvenile family member, authorities said.
Police said the incident prompted both a criminal investigation and an internal review by the sheriff’s office.
According to a redacted arrest affidavit, an officer responding to the call reported seeing a man later identified as Emmanuel Perez in the front yard of a home holding a juvenile female on the ground.
The officer wrote that the girl appeared distressed and had visible marks on her abdomen and shoulder when police intervened and separated the two.
Investigators said Perez told officers the juvenile was his daughter and that the confrontation began after he tried to take her phone when she was not getting ready for school on time.
The juvenile told officers her father attacked her while attempting to take the phone and said he slammed her to the ground, kicked her and pulled her hair during the altercation, according to the affidavit.
A neighbor who witnessed the incident told police she saw Perez grab the girl by the hair and slam her to the ground with force, investigators wrote.
Based on the investigation, officers determined there was probable cause to charge Perez with child abuse without causing serious bodily injury under Florida law. He was taken into custody and transported to the St. Lucie County Jail.
Police said the arrest was reported to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office because Perez is employed there as a deputy.
In a statement, the Port St. Lucie Police Department said it is coordinating with the sheriff’s office as the investigations move forward.
“To ensure the integrity of the ongoing investigations, body camera footage will not be released at this time,” the department said.
Officials said the case is being handled in the same manner as any other criminal investigation while the sheriff’s office conducts its internal review.