Local

St. Cloud officers disciplined after bar brawl

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Two St. Cloud police officers have been disciplined, and two others face charges, after a fight broke out at a bar.

According to investigators, the officers were off duty when they visited the Firewater Lounge in St. Cloud on April 27. Documents say the officers involved were Casey Lawson, Ron Dieterle, Garrett Stockdill, and Lieutenant Denise Roberts.

The investigation said the group was only in the bar for about a minute when the group started brawling with a patron named Robert Ottoson, whose cell phone was recording audio throughout the fight.

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The bouncer said he grabbed Stockdill and told him to stop fighting. Instead, the bouncer said Stockdill punched him in the face.

Stockdill said he was approached in “an overtly aggressive manner” and was forced to defend himself, documents say.

The State Attorney’s office filed battery charges against Lawson and Stockdill.

The reports indicate the two other officers may have been trying to break up the fight and have been disciplined.

Jeff Deal

Jeff Deal, WFTV.com

I joined the Eyewitness News team as a reporter in 2006.