ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County Sheriff’s Office sergeant who was fired after the department determined he abused his power during a traffic stop is suing Sheriff John Mina.
Sgt. Keith Vidler says he was terminated because he was a whistleblower in the department. The man he arrested was part of a racketeering case, but the sheriff’s office decided to end that investigation in 2019.
He filed the lawsuit stating he was blowing the whistle on the sheriff’s office for dropping the case, and that led to him getting fired.
Vidler, a 30-year law enforcement veteran, was hailed as a hero for pulling people to safety during the Pulse nightclub attack.
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He is suing Mina under Florida’s Whistleblower Act, which protects public employees who file complaints around mismanagement in their office.
An internal investigation of a traffic stop last year found Vidler purposely targeted and falsely arrested Jeremy DeWitte, a registered sex offender with a history of arrests for impersonating a police officer.
Body camera footage shows Vidler appears to be concerned about what he believes is a firearm on DeWitte, something a convicted felon cannot legally possess.
READ: Registered sex offender accused of impersonating officer sentenced to 18 months in prison
It turned out to be a nonlethal pepper ball gun.
Vidler was outspoken about the racketeering investigation involving DeWitte being dropped. In his lawsuit,...
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