Miami-Dade deputy accused of kidnapping, domestic violence in Broward County

Yahoo

2 days ago

A Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputy was arrested in Broward County on Thursday, accused of attacking a woman he lives with while their 2-year-old child was in the house, court records say.
Terrence Chester, a 28-year-old deputy who was hired in 2019, was arrested by Broward Sheriff's Office deputies in Pompano Beach and booked into the Main Jail on Thursday. He is facing charges of kidnapping, battery and improper exhibit of a firearm.
Someone called 911 about 11 p.m. Wednesday and said a woman 'was getting hit by a male with a gun,' who then dragged the woman inside of an apartment, according to a probable cause affidavit. When Broward deputies arrived, multiple 'concerned citizens' pointed out Chester, who had a loaded pistol holstered in his waistband.
The victim, who the South Florida Sun Sentinel is not naming because she is an alleged victim of domestic violence, told deputies that she and Chester had been arguing about money, and the argument escalated outside in the apartment's parking lot, according to the affidavit.
The woman told deputies Chester suddenly hit her in the head and grabbed her by her hair before he started dragging her back toward the apartment, the affidavit said. When she went back inside, the woman took their 2-year-old son and came back outside to wait until deputies arrived.
A neighbor's surveillance cameras recorded Chester punching the woman numerous times in her head and face, according to the affidavit. Another video showed Chester, standing behind the woman, trying to pick her up from the ground.
As Chester tried to move the woman, he quickly took out a gun from his waistband, the affidavit said, and pointed it down toward the ground next to his leg.
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said in a prepared statement Thursday that the deputy has been relieved of duty.
'The safety and well-being of victims will always take priority, and any member of this agency who violates the trust of this community or their oath of service will be held fully accountable,' the statement said.