BSO deputy arrested after investigation

COOPER CITY, Fla. (WSVN) -- A Broward Sheriff's Office deputy accused of bad behavior has been arrested.

Gerald Wengert faces charges of battery, falsifying records and official misconduct.

According to a warrant, Wengert's girlfriend called him and said she saw a teen back up his car along Stirling Road in Cooper City, back in December 2010.

The BSO deputy's girlfriend followed 17-year-old Mark Visconti to a nearby Wendy's. As Visconti left the plaza, Wengert caught up to him and pulled him over. When Visconti rolled down his window, the report says, Wengert swore at him, yanked him from his car, punched the teen and released his K-9 partner on the teen.

The warrant continues, Wengert lied in a report to his superiors and said he saw Visconti back up onto the road, and he committed a crime by punching Visconti and releasing his K-9 on the teen.

Wengert was booked at the Broward County Jail but has since been released on a $2,000 bond.

The 33-year-old deputy has been featured on the TLC reality series "Unleashed: K-9 Broward County."

His attorney, Eric Schwartzreich, told 7News by phone that his client did nothing wrong and stands by his report. "I'm confident that he'll be cleared of any wrongdoing, that everything he put in his report is accurate," Schwartzreich said.

In a statement, Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti said he is disappointed about what occurred, but anytime the department receives a complaint, they investigate it and will not sweep anything under the rug.

Wengert has been suspended without pay.

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