More than a year after an explosion at a gas station left a man badly burned, the Osceola County officer who investigators say fired his TASER is facing a criminal charge of negligence with personal injury.
The state attorney’s office said Deputy David Crawford cited that he “recklessly deployed a Taser at the victim who had become drenched in gasoline and, as a result, caused the explosion that injured the victim.”
“A law enforcement officer is supposed to protect us, not turn us on,” says attorney Mark Nejame, who represents 26-year-old Jean Barretto.
“The only reason he didn’t burn his feet, hands and face is because he had a helmet on his head, gloves and boots. Otherwise, the whole body of him from top to bottom. It is awful.
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Nejame said Barretto is still recovering from his injuries and owes more than $7 million in medical bills.
As for Crawford, if convicted on the misdemeanor charge, he could face up to a year in jail or a $1,000 fine.
For the first time since announcing he was running for president, Governor Ron DeSantis was in Central Florida today.
He made a convention appearance before traveling to key primary states the next week.
Despite the rocky start to the campaign on Twitter Spaces, DeSantis’ team said a record $8.2 million was raised in the 24 hours after the governor’s presidential announcement.
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The National Weather Service confirms that a tornado touched down near Miami on Thursday, injuring one person.
The EF-0 tornado snapped trees and caused a truck to overturn, injuring the driver.
Forecasters say Florida could see another wave of severe weather today, but once the front clears, blue skies return with temperatures in the 80s.
Random Florida Fact
Until the last quarter of the 20th century, most Floridians were registered to vote as Democrats.
The state legislature was similarly dominated by Democrats, as was the governor’s office.
However, by the beginning of the 21st century, the gap between the number of Democratic and Republican voters had narrowed considerably. Republicans outnumbered Democrats in the legislature, and two Republican governors had been elected in succession.
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