May 18, 2013
COOPER CITY, Florida -- July 15, 2012
A Broward County Sheriff's Office deputy has been arrested on charges of battery, falsifying records and official misconduct.
An investigation into a December 2010 arrest found deputy Gerald Wengert falsified an incident report and intentionally struck then 17-year-old Mark Visconti, causing bodily harm.
According to the warrant for his arrest, Wengert rushed to stop Visconti after receiving a call from his girlfriend, who was angry about the way the teenager was driving.
He allegedly yanked Visconti out of his car, punched him several times and released his police dog on him. Visconti sustained injuries to his face and legs that required medical attention.
An investigation revealed Wengert had not seen Visconti drive in reverse and almost hit another car, even though he described seeing that in Visconti's arrest report.
