Former Orange County deputy charged with battery, perjury
LAKE MARY, Fla. - A former Orange County sheriff's deputy has been charged with perjury in an official proceeding, perjury when not in an official proceeding, and battery resulting from an incident in January of 2020.
Ayler Cruz worked for the Sheriff’s Office from 2017 to 2020, when he resigned while under internal investigation for that January incident. The internal investigation concluded that Cruz violated policies that would have resulted in termination, the Sheriff's Office said.
The Sheriff's Office said a criminal investigation found that Cruz committed battery and provided false official statements. That investigative report was forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office to determine whether prosecution was appropriate. The State Attorney’s Office announced the charges on Wednesday.
"No one is more outraged than I am when a deputy is charged with a crime," said Orange County Sheriff John Mina. "At the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, we are committed to working with our partners at the State Attorney’s Office to ensure that any alleged criminal behavior will be thoroughly investigated and we will hold employees that violate the law to account."