Deputy says woman in sling attacked him. His cameras apparently didn’t get the memo.
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A Florida deputy accused a handcuffed, 67-year-old woman with an arm in a sling of battering him during a DUI arrest.
Then his supervisors watched the recordings.
Now Deputy Joseph Billittier is facing criminal charges himself after investigators concluded that the woman did not batter him and that he used unnecessary force against her, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
The alleged account had one significant weakness: There was video.
Billittier was arrested Tuesday, Oct. 27, on charges of battery on a person 65 or older, official misconduct, perjury in an official proceeding and falsifying public or court records. He has been relieved of duty pending formal termination proceedings.
The incident began Sept. 25 when a motorist reported a Toyota Corolla traveling the wrong way on Royal Palm Road. The car eventually stopped in the median on Simpson Road, and the caller removed its keys.
Deputies investigated and arrested the driver on suspicion of DUI. She told them she had broken her collarbone in May, and her left arm was in a sling. Officers handcuffed her in front.
According to the sheriff’s office, the encounter became physical while the woman was being placed in a patrol vehicle and transported to jail. Upon arrival, jail staff required her to receive medical clearance, and she was taken to a hospital.
Supervisors subsequently reviewed body-camera and in-car recordings. What they saw raised concerns about both Billittier’s handling of the woman and his claim that she had attacked him.
Investigators concluded that the footage contradicted his allegation. A criminal investigation followed, prosecutors reviewed the findings, and a judge signed an arrest warrant Tuesday.
For Billittier, the trip from writing an arrest report to becoming the subject of one took about a month.
Sheriff Christopher Blackmon said the conduct alleged against his deputy was intolerable.
“Accountability is not selective,” Blackmon said. “Falsifying documents and harming vulnerable citizens strikes directly at the foundation of our justice system.”
Billittier joined the agency in August 2023, according to FOX 35 Orlando. His first court appearance was expected Wednesday.
Important details remain unavailable. Authorities have not publicly specified the force allegedly used or the woman’s resulting injuries. Prosecutors asked the sheriff’s office not to release the recordings Tuesday, FOX 35 reported.
The status of the woman’s DUI case also remains unclear. The allegations against the deputy do not, by themselves, resolve that separate case.
Billittier has not been convicted. The reports reviewed did not include a response from him or an attorney representing him.
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