Ex-Hialeah police officers accused in beating homeless man request bond
MIAMI - Former Hialeah police officers, accused in the beating of a homeless man, appeared in court Tuesday to ask the judge to grant them bond.
The judge did not make a decision Tuesday. The hearing is expected to continue Wednesday.
Lorenzo Orfila, a three-year member of the department, and Rafael Otano, 27, a five-year member of the force, have been in custody, charged with battery.
Orfila, 22, was also charged with armed kidnapping and official misconduct by a public servant, according to jail records.
Otano was being held on no bond and also charged with armed kidnapping, according to jail records.
Both of the officers were first removed from active duty before being fired from the department.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said the officers allegedly took the man to an "isolated" location where he was handcuffed and beaten into unconsciousness.
The victim woke up in the same location and began walking, where he was spotted later by an off-duty Hialeah police officer out walking his dog.
The man told the off-duty officer that he had been beaten by the two officers.