ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Prosecutors in the trial of an Osceola County deputy accused of using a Taser at a gas station and setting a man on fire are expected to rest their case Wednesday in Orange County court.
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Deputy David Crawford was charged with culpable negligence in the incident, which occurred in 2022 at a Wawa on Central Florida Parkway. Crawford and other deputies followed 26-year-old Jean Baretto-Baerga through Osceola County to the Wawa because he was allegedly driving his motorcycle recklessly.
Jurors on Tuesday watched dramatic body-worn camera footage showing the moment Crawford used his Taser on Baretto-Baerga near spilled gasoline, which prosecutors say sparked a fire and left Baretto-Baerga hospitalized with extensive burns.
Osceola County Deputy Joseph Dejesus, who responded to the scene, testified Tuesday that using a Taser near gas pumps is against agency policy. Crawford’s lawyers have argued the stun gun, which started the fire, was assigned to a different deputy.
Crawford faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.
ClickOrlando.com will stream the trial live at the top of this story.
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