FHP fires trooper accused of pistol-whipping teen

FHP fires trooper accused of pistol-whipping teen

Bianca Prieto
Sentinel Staff Writer
4:01 PM EDT, May 11, 2009
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A veteran Florida Highway Patrol trooper was fired today after he was arrested this weekend for allegedly hitting a 17-year-old boy with his handgun.

Charles Davis, 47, was booked into the Orange County Jail Sunday morning on a charge of aggravated battery. He has since been released.

According to police reports, Davis had two separate altercations with teens in his Lake Como neighborhood early Sunday morning. The first incident occurred around 1:40 a.m. when Davis left his house to buy peanuts.

He found a group of teens, three girls and a boy, standing near his front yard and asked them to leave because they were being noisy. Davis thought they were in the area for a party because there were several cars in the neighborhood.

He and a teen, Lucas L. Lopez, began arguing and Davis allegedly swung his fist at the teen. Lopez grabbed Davis and put him in a "choke hold" and told the man he would let him go if he calmed down.

Davis told the teen he would calm down and was released. He told the teens he was going to get his gun, so they ran toward a car and left the area, reports show.

Shortly after this incident, Davis began yelling at another group of teens who were standing across the street from his home. He swung his gun at 17-year-old Justin Roy's head and shoulder, which caused a cut and a scrape, reports show.

During the investigation by Orlando Police, Davis was allegedly verbally abusive toward officers. While filling out a statement, he told police, "next time he would kill them and leave the bodies for us to clean up on his lawn," an officer wrote in a report.

While officers were at his house, Davis left in his marked, FHP patrol car. He was arrested when he returned.

Davis, who has been with FHP since 1984, investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol in 2007 for disorderly conduct. Records also show he was arrested by Orlando Police in 2006 for a similar charge. It's unknown if the two are related.

A spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said said Davis faced an 80-hour suspension after the 2006 incident.

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