When crime brews, law enforcement is typically ready to respond.
However, there are some situations where these agents are seemingly responsible for the crime. While it may not be often, it does happen.
Below are five cases where law enforcement officers in Central Florida found themselves on the wrong side of the law.
OFFICER WAS FIVE TIMES OVER THE LEGAL LIMIT — July 2022
In July 2022, an Apopka police officer was accused of driving under the influence in his patrol car.
According to the police department, the officer — Oscar Mayorga, 25 — had been scheduled to work when he was pulled over for a traffic stop in Eustis.
Mayorga was then asked to get out of his vehicle and he almost fell several times while walking to a nearby sidewalk, according to the Eustis Police Department.
“In our profession, you know it’s best to be honest, right?” the officer questioning Mayorga can be heard saying in the video after he initially denied being intoxicated in any other way. “...I smell the alcohol coming from your breath.”
Mayorga told the officer he drank 3 tall cans of Modelo beer, according to the affidavit. He rejected performing standard field sobriety tests and was taken to the Eustis Police Department to conduct certified breath tests, the affidavit said.
Police said that one of Mayorga’s two breath tests was 0.391g/210L, which is nearly five times above the legal limit in Florida.
“We all make mistakes. I know our job’s stressful. I get that, man,” the officer tells Mayorga in the bodycam video.
The department announced that Apopka police recovered the vehicle and officer’s equipment after Eustis police began an investigation.
Mayorga had been with the department for 5 years and was suspended without pay, police said.
Court records show that Mayorga was found guilty of DUI and sentenced to 12 months of probation in April 2023.
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DEPUTY DISCOVERED SLUMPED OVER IN DUI ARREST — October 2022
In October 2022, a St. Cloud officer found a Honda at the entrance to a local parking lot around 4:20 a.m.
According to an arrest report, the door to the Honda was open, and the driver — Orange County Deputy John Guzman, 29 — was hanging out of the driver’s seat.
Police said Guzman (who was off-duty) was asleep at the wheel with the vehicle in drive, though his foot was still on the brake.
After Guzman was woken up, police asked him to exit the Honda. He complied, though he reportedly had trouble with his balance, police noted.
In addition, police said Guzman’s eyes were bloodshot, and his breath smelled like alcohol.
Officers also noted that Guzman had vomit on his shirt and pants, and he fumbled in his pockets when he tried to find his wallet.
Guzman declined a series of field sobriety exercises and was ultimately placed under arrest, officers said.
The sheriff’s office said he had been with them since September 2019 and worked as part of its patrol division.
“He has been relieved of all law enforcement duties and has been reassigned to an administrative role. Once the criminal proceedings are complete, an OCSO administrative investigation will be conducted,” officials said.
DEPUTY ACCUSED OF FLEEING TRAFFIC STOP — July 2023
Last year, an Orange County deputy was accused of fleeing from an attempted traffic stop in Lake County.
According to investigators, the deputy — Juan Morales-Padilla — was spotted illegally passing an SUV in Groveland while riding a motorcycle.
Dash camera footage shows a Lake County deputy trying to pull Morales-Padilla over, though he eventually sped away, and the Lake County deputy gave up the chase.
However, deputies said they were able to get the information on Morales-Padilla’s license plate, which provided them with his name and address.
Later on, deputies showed up at his home and knocked at the door, trying to get him to answer. Court records show that a deputy then went into the backyard and found Morales-Padilla standing by the front door through a sliding glass backdoor.
He then waved at the deputy before leaving the room, and he answered the front door in a different set of clothes a few minutes later, investigators explained.
“Are you a cop? Yes? You should know better,” one deputy can be heard in released body-camera footage saying to Morales-Padilla as he is taken into custody.
After being detained, Morales-Padilla can be heard in the video telling deputies he worked for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said he then admitted to making a “bad choice” before he refused to speak further.
Morales-Padilla was immediately fired from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. He was arrested on charges of fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer, and resisting a law enforcement officer without violence.
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DEPUTY ARRESTED OVER STREET RACE — August 2023
In August 2023, an Orange County deputy was arrested after he was caught racing along a highway, according to the sheriff’s office.
At the time, a St. Cloud officer spotted two motorcycles speeding past him, splitting lanes and cutting off other drivers along the roadway, deputies said.
After putting on his lights, the officer pulled over one of the two bikers — Orange County Deputy Brian Espinal.
Body-camera video of the arrest shows the interaction between Espinal and several St. Cloud officers. Espinal is seen in the video standing next to his motorcycle with a woman, who was his passenger.
In the video, the arresting officer shows Espinal’s ID to multiple officers, each reacting with surprise.
“Really?!” one officer can be heard saying in the video.
The ID prompts the officers to ask Espinal, “How many years you got on (the job)?”
“Three,” Espinal responded in the video.
In the video, the arresting officer said he estimated Espinal and the other motorcycle rider were going roughly 80 to 90 mph in a 45 mph zone.
Espinal explained that he met the other rider at a stoplight, and they admired each other’s bikes. He then denied racing the rider, claiming they just happened to be going in the same direction.
Espinal said he was showing off for his date.
“I wanted to impress her, and I wanted to show off the new bike,” the deputy can be heard saying in the video.
After the bike is moved off the road, Espinal is placed in handcuffs and told he is being arrested for street racing.
“I wasn’t racing,” Espinal is heard saying multiple times on the video.
Espinal was ultimately arrested on charges of reckless driving and racing on the highway.
DEPUTY FOUND PASSED OUT AT A RED LIGHT — December 2023
Back in December, DeLand police announced that a Seminole County deputy was found passed out behind the wheel of her vehicle at a traffic light.
At the time, an officer had pulled behind a Toyota Corolla at a local intersection just before 1 a.m.
However, when the red traffic light turned green, the Corolla simply stayed put — even after the officer honked his horn, according to investigators.
As a result, the officer got out of his vehicle and approached the driver-side door of the Corolla, finding the unconscious deputy — Kristen Simpson, 29 — with her foot on the brake.
“I’m gonna pull in front of her. She’s (expletive) passed out behind the wheel with her foot on the brake,” the officer can be heard saying in released body-camera video. “I don’t want her to take off through the intersection.”
After the officer bangs on the Corolla, Simpson appears to wake up.
“Put your car in park. No! Put it in park!” the officer can be heard shouting as the Corolla then rolls into a Volusia Sheriff’s Office cruiser.
Investigators said Simpson refused to take a breath test or perform field sobriety exercises. A search of her Corolla found three open containers of White Claw and two dogs.
Simpson was arrested on a charge of DUI, though court records show that it was later reduced to a charge of reckless driving.
Afterward, she was placed on administrative leave, with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office providing the following statement regarding her arrest:
“The deputy has been placed on Administrative Leave with pay pending the outcome of the criminal investigation then our own internal investigation. For more detail we would need to refer you to the investigating agency.”
Seminole County Sheriff's Office
According to court records, Simpson pled no contest to the charge, though adjudication was ultimately withheld.
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