A Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputy was taken into custody early Monday morning following an altercation with a Plant City police officer.
Shortly after midnight on Monday, June 22, Deputy Ivan Moreno encountered a Plant City police officer while sitting in the backyard of a home on the 2000 block of Walden Woods Drive in Plant City. The officer was using his flashlight to search behind several properties for a juvenile that ran away from her home. Moreno yelled at the unknown officer to turn the light off. The officer continued searching the area, leading Moreno to continue yelling at the officer to turn off his flashlight.
The officer used the flashlight to illuminate his badge and agency-issued uniform, identifying himself as a Plant City police officer. Moreno advanced towards the officer, bumping shoulders with him and attempting to engage in a physical altercation. According to the officer, Moreno appeared to be intoxicated at the time of the incident. The officer arrested Moreno for battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer without violence.
“No one is above the law. Battery on an officer, even if it’s coming from another law enforcement officer, is completely unacceptable,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “This is an incident that should never have escalated to the level of physical violence. We do not condone the actions of this deputy, and he has been placed on administrative leave as we work through the details of this investigation.”
Moreno has been employed with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy since 2016. He has no prior internal affairs investigations.
