The Sunrise Police Department has been thrust into the public eye with the arrest of Sgt. Daniel Rodriguez on charges that include threats to kill, extortion, and evidence tampering, following an internal criminal investigation. Local 10 News reports that the sergeant, aged 44, voluntarily surrendered at the Broward County Main Jail in response to the arrest warrant against him.
Authorities have placed Rodriguez on administrative leave without pay, confiscating his department-issued items amid findings of probable cause for the serious accusations against him, according to the police department, failing to provide distinct details about the specific actions that lead to the charges at the time the arrest was made, nonetheless Local 10 News has sought access to the arrest report. Rodriguez had faced previous accusations; specifically, a Palm Beach Post article illuminated a past instance of alleged police brutality involving an 18-year-old back in 2010, though he was acquitted in a related sexual battery case.Local 10 News.
Despite the severity of the charges, Rodriguez's legal counsel, attorney Michael Gottlieb, has presented a counter-narrative, suggesting the allegations are retaliatory in nature. Gottlieb, in an interview with WSVN, stated, "My client saw a wrong being committed in his police department and tried to right it," alleging that Rodriguez faced backlash for reporting suspected misconduct within the department, implicating an Internal Affairs lieutenant in the removal of evidence from a crime scene, only to later adorn the police department walls.
Text messages cited in the investigation suggest Rodriguez made threats against the Internal Affairs lieutenant and another individual, though Gottlieb maintains, "That is just venting," and further highlighted by saying "There are texts with he and a friend of his where he indicated words to the effect 'I should kill them' because they got him suspended, they got him punished," the defense attorney's assertion does not negate the formal accusations made by Sunrise Police Department's investigation which has painted a grimmer picture of Rodriguez's alleged intent garnered throughout the criminal probe, as reported by WSVN.
As for the next steps, Gottlien confirms the intentions of his client to vigorously defend against the charges levied, indicating the unfolding saga of Sgt. Rodriguez's career with the Sunrise Police Department may be far from concluded, as the balance between the quest for justice within the police force and ensuring accountability remains delicate; in this instance, it's playing out in public view where the truth will ultimately be judged in court.
