New York tourist sues Osceola County after wrongful detention by deputies
New York tourist sues Osceola County after wrongful detention
A New York man has filed a lawsuit against the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, alleging deputies wrongfully detained and handcuffed him while searching for a different person during a March 2025 incident in Central Florida.
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - A New York man has filed a lawsuit against the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, alleging deputies wrongfully detained and handcuffed him while searching for another person at a Davenport condominium complex.
According to the lawsuit, 70-year-old Fred Tantalo was vacationing with his wife in March 2025 when deputies arrived at their rental unit looking for a suspect named Joel Salazar, who Polk County Sheriff’s Office claimed had an active warrant for violation of probation stemming from a traffic-related offense.
Tantalo, unsure who was outside, called 911 before deputies pulled him from the residence, forced him to the ground and placed him in handcuffs, the lawsuit alleges.
What they're saying:
The deputies soon realized they had detained the wrong person.
"When they looked at the picture, they realized it was not the right person," Osceola County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Kimberley Montes said. "They immediately stood him up, unhandcuffed him, apologized and then told their supervisors what happened."
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Attorneys for Tantalo argue the mistake stemmed from an incorrect address. An attempt-to-locate notice listed Unit 3401 as the suspect's last known address, but the lawsuit alleges that unit did not exist. Deputies instead assumed the correct address was Unit 1401 and went there, they said. The lawsuit also contends Tantalo and the suspect differed significantly in age, weight and appearance.
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Montes acknowledged the agency was at fault.
"It was clearly a mistake on our end," she said. "We are very sorry that this happened to this man. Law enforcement officers are human, obviously, but we never want to make this mistake."
An internal affairs investigation determined that two of the four deputies involved violated agency procedures. Both deputies received 32-hour suspensions without pay. A deputy trainee and another deputy who responded as backup were cleared of wrongdoing.
"We've had conversations with training so that this scenario can be talked about with new deputies because our goal is for this to not happen again," Montes said.
The sheriff's office said the incident has been used as a training opportunity to prevent similar mistakes in the future.
The lawsuit seeks damages related to the wrongful detention and injuries Tantalo allegedly suffered during the encounter.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office and court documents filed in the U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida.