St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Deputy Arrested for Assault

The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office arrested one of its deputies today on charges of assault and making false statements. Randy Walker, who has worked for the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office for eight years, was arrested on two warrants related to an arrest he was involved in on April 2. “His conduct that day was not what the sheriff would expect,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told WPBF 25 News. An internal review that also reviewed body-worn cameras and statements from other deputies present at the arrest found that the deputy used excessive force during an arrest. It all started when Deputy Walker said a silver Chevrolet Malibu had a stolen Fort Pierce license plate. He reported that this then prompted him to follow it. “Based on the driving behavior, we believe the occupants had just committed or were about to commit a crime as it was still in an area where shootings have increased,” the detective said in a written report. Body camera video then shows him walking toward the driver and his passenger after they stopped near Turnpike Feeder Road and Winter Garden Parkway. The video shows the deputy pointing a gun at them as the driver asks him why he is doing this. The video then shows the deputy telling the driver to turn off his car. But the man soon drives off, sparking a pursuit. Body camera then shows the pursuit continuing in a wooded area. The driver can be heard yelling “ouch” and asking the deputies to “please stop the dog” as the deputies brought out their canine unit. “If it weren’t for the deputies … and the surveillance and the body-worn cameras that all of our deputies wear, nobody would have known about this,” Sheriff Pearson said. The internal review then led to an investigation by the Criminal Investigation Division, which worked with the District Attorney’s Office and issued two arrest warrants signed by a judge. The false statement refers to the incident report Walker prepared regarding the arrest. In the video, the deputy can also be heard saying the driver was “fighting with the dog.” Walker was on paid administrative leave during the investigation. As of Saturday, he has been on unpaid administrative leave until he is terminated. “His colleagues had the difficult task of investigating one of their own,” the sheriff told WPBF 25 News. Walker checked himself into jail on Saturday, where he posted bail.