A Cygnus Business Media Website            






Sponsored By:








Florida Officer Suspended After Internet Post


Posted: Friday, April 11, 2008
Updated: July 8th, 2008 05:27 PM GMT-05:00

Most Read Stories TodayMost Read Most E-mailed Stories TodayMost E-mailed E-mail This StoryE-mail Article Print This StoryPrint Article

Story by wftv.com

OVIEDO, Fla. --

Only Channel 9 spoke with a police officer who's been suspended from the force because of what he posted on the Internet. The Oviedo Police Department took away the officer's gun and badge when he claimed online to be a "super-trained killer ninja fighter." It's a statement the officer admits was a joke, but the department didn't find it funny.

The controversial statement was found on Officer Justin Varkony's MySpace page. It stated that he was a "supertrained killer ninja fighter of the night who has not had a chance to use this special skill yet."

The man investigating the case is taking it seriously.

"It was brought to the chief of police, yes," said Lt. Dennis Lynch, Oviedo Police Department.

Oviedo police acted swiftly and put Varkony on administrative duty. Eyewitness News found him at his Seminole County apartment on Thursday.

"If I could go back to whenever I wrote that, I would take it off. It was a joke, that's all," Varkony told Eyewitness News.

The Oviedo Police Department said it is a matter of public safety and that if one of its officers truly believes he is a "super trained ninja fighter who has not used his special skills yet," it is a cause of concern.

Making things worse, Eyewitness News uncovered 22 other complaints, including one case where Varkony admitted putting notches on his Taser every time it was used. He received 84 hours of unpaid leave.

Like the "killer ninja" comment, the 28-year-old said it was a lapse in judgment.

"The majority cleared as minor infractions, but I'm not a rogue cop," he said.

Instead, Varkony says he's a cop being targeted after arresting a city council person's family member in 2005.

"The politics get rough. We try to stay away from them, but unfortunately stuff happens," he said.

Varkony has taken down his MySpace page. Oviedo police will decide if he should be taken off the force.

Officer Varkony will have his case heard Tuesday. The Internal Affairs report can take as long as six months. In the meantime, he will remain on administrative duty.

Copyright 2008 by wftv.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


» More Stories From Internal Affairs News



Share your thoughts, advice, opinions, and expertise @ Officer.com

     
Comments

Posted by KC in Orlando,Fl
(02/22/09 - 11:16 PM)
Oviedo Police Actions
I truly don't trust the department at all. The Ovideo Police Department only has a few good cops on the force. When there is a call made and they are called out to a scene by some people who are trying to cause problems for a certain person. The cops who came out that time said "well if we find him, and don't find anything on him, we will plant something on him and find something". The person who they are refering to is the victim of a crime. The reason why the victim left was because they know how bad the Oviedo Police Department is. They are no good. Everyone knows it. The cops in question know exactly who they are.



Posted by Anon in Oviedo FL
(04/11/09 - 08:03 AM)
The Oviedo police are a joke. They have nothing better to do than harass people all the time when they get bored.

I have met one nice female officer, and the other 10 have been completely rude and disrespectfull for no reason. They will often talk down to you, and if you are from another state you can expect to get pulled over at least once a week.








Officer.com E-Mail Alerts
Sign Up for Free e-mail Alerts

Daily News & Features
Officer Down Alerts
Special Offers
Weekly Job Alerts