OCSO: No excessive force used in arrest of two college students

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An internal investigation by the Orange County Sheriff's Office determined no excessive force was used in the July 2015 arrests of two Valencia College students.

The Sheriff’s Office determined Deidra Reid and Reginald Lane didn’t comply with commands and were resisting arrest, so the tactics used by deputies to handcuff them were within protocol.

Reid said Deputy Richard Nye crossed the line and twisted her shoulder out of place.

“They pushed me into a fence and dropped me on the floor,” Reid said.

The other two deputies in the complaint are Sgt. Brett Parnell and Kristine Helms.

Parnell is the courtesy officer at the Retreat Apartments and arrived after Reid’s demands to get inside were ignored. Parnell confronted Reid and Nye, and Helms arrived as backup.

The internal investigation said investigators tried interviewing Reid and Lane in person, but neither showed. Instead, written statements were made.

Reid and Lane never spoke to detectives and never gave them additional video of their arrests, according to investigators.

Channel 9 reporter Ty Russell asked the students’ attorney, Natalie Jackson, why she never came forward on her client’s behalf.

“I had given many statements to them. That’s exactly what I had done, but they want the statement of my client,” said Jackson.

Jackson gave a press conference when the allegations were first made.

She said law enforcement officers are usually found in the clear in these cases, and that Reid is going to file a civil right lawsuit.

Investigators said the interviews with Jackson’s clients would have helped explain the students' side of the story.

Witnesses backed the deputies' claims that Reid and Lane didn't comply with orders. 
The report said Reid's injuries were a result of resisting, not because Nye went too far.

The six-month investigation found there was no excessive force used.

Charges against Reid and Lane were dropped

Cox Media Group