By Henry Pierson Curtis
Sun-Sentinel
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A car chase between an Osceola County deputy sheriff and his ex-girlfriend ended late Tuesday with the deputy in handcuffs and facing possible loss of his badge.
Mario Dixon, 26, pursued the woman for several miles and repeatedly pulled alongside her vehicle to try to get her to stop, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The confrontation began when the unidentified woman, who recently broke up with the married deputy, returned to his home to pick up her clothing, a report stated.
At first, Dixon would not let the woman leave, the report said. Then, he followed her outside and began yelling and banging on the windows and doors of her vehicle, the report stated.
When Dixon broke off the chase, the woman called 911 at 11:51 p.m. She told sheriff’s officials she had dated Dixon since January but broke up with him recently because he had not divorced his estranged wife, the report stated.
While his ex-girlfriend told investigators she had feared for her life during the chase, Dixon said he followed her because “he wanted to make sure she made it home safely,” the report stated.
The report doesn’t specify what kind of vehicle Dixon was driving.
Charged with stalking-dating violence, the 5-year deputy was suspended with pay from his $43,000-a-year job. He remains in the Osceola County Jail without bail.
Dixon’s disciplinary history at the Sheriff’s Office includes the loss of 40 hours of pay for improperly releasing his K-9 on a suspect and the loss of 24 hours of pay for improperly using his law-enforcement computer to check a driving record and drivers-license photograph as a favor for a friend, said agency spokeswoman Twis Lizasuain.
Copyright 2009 Sun-Sentinel