SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A Seminole County deputy filed a lawsuit against Sheriff Dennis Lemma on Wednesday, accusing a lieutenant with the sheriff’s office of sexual harassment.
The lawsuit claimed former Lt. Charles Albrecht sent a message to Deputy David Harding in December 2020, asking Harding to log into a video chat.
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After Harding did so, Albrecht appeared “out of uniform in a wig and in women’s lingerie,” court records state.
According to the lawsuit, Albrecht told Harding that he could have Harding transferred to a “preferred assignment” if Harding agreed to a sexual relationship. Harding then disconnected from the video chat, the document shows.
Albrecht had mentioned that his wife was having an affair, explaining that he would leave her to be with Harding, though after being rejected, Albrecht became angry, the lawsuit stated.
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As a result, Albrecht sent Harding a “pornographic video” of himself engaging in sexual activities while dressed in women’s lingerie, leading Harding to report the incident to a former Sergeant with the sheriff’s office, court records state.
The lawsuit claims that within two weeks of Harding’s rejection, Harding “became the subject of a sham internal investigation, which resulted in criminal charges being filed against him and the termination of his employment.”
An arrest warrant affidavit in February 2023 shows that Harding was arrested on charges of false imprisonment and battery after a potential drug-activity informant told investigators that Harding had molested him during a frisk search.
However, those charges were dropped soon after, and the lawsuit said that there was no record of either the potential informant or anyone else filing a complaint with the sheriff’s office about the incident.
The lawsuit claimed the arrest was due to Albrecht and his wife — who also works in law enforcement — conspiring to have Harding charged criminally. Documents show that Sheriff Lemma had signed off on the criminal investigation.
In June 2023, Albrecht was fired from the sheriff’s office after an investigation dug up the sexual messages he had previously sent. He had been employed there for around 23 years.
“While I appreciate your candor during the course of this investigation and your recognition of the fact that you did not act appropriately during this incident, the fact of the matter is that your behavior in all respects was not in keeping with the organizational values and philosophy of the Sheriff’s Office and will not be tolerated,” Sheriff Lemma said in a notice to Albrecht.
Harding’s lawsuit is seeking damages of over $75,000.
News 6 has reached out to the sheriff’s office for a statement on the lawsuit and is awaiting a response.
The full lawsuit can be read by scrolling down in the media viewer below.
Seminole Co So Lawsuit by Anthony Talcott on Scribd
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