Former BSO deputy Chris Krickovich found not guilty of battery in "rough arrest" of teen in Tamarac
FORT LAUDERDALE - "The defendant is not guilty," a courtroom clerk read.
After a three-year legal battle, former BSO Deputy Chris Krickovich is relieved with the not guilty verdict.
With tears in his eyes, he hugged family and friends in the courtroom. The jury found him not guilty of battery.
The case stems from an incident in April of 2019 with 15-year-old Delucca Rolle. In cellphone and body cam video, we see him pound Rolle's head to the ground twice, then punch him once in the head.
"This has been presented as a snapshot, two second period of time of what happened on the ground instead of the motion picture of what happened out there that day and the days before," defense attorney Jeremy Kroll said.
He argued this happened in a plaza that was seeing increased violence by teens — and came a day after a violent brawl — with fears there would be retaliation the day this happened.
"You're talking about a situation not only a dangerous place, but it exploded the day before in violence. Where off campus it got worse. And that day he encountered someone who threatened to punch a sergeant and down on the ground resisted. This is exactly what police officers are trained to do under those circumstances," Kroll said.
Prosecutors say Rolle was in an "give up position" and not resisting, so the head slam and punch showed excessive force. The jury didn't see it that way.
"It's up the province of the jury. I put forth a good case, so it's ultimately up to them," said prosecutor Chris Killoran.
In the hallway, retired BSO Capt. Neal Glassman confronted the prosecutor.
"They have 10 times the courage you'll ever have," said Glassman, regarding the three deputies who were originally charged in this case.
Two now have been found not guilty and one had the charges dropped. Glassman said the state knew Rolle threatened a fellow deputy seconds before the take down.
"The prosecution lied for 3 years. They knew their own witness said Delucca Rolle was aggressive toward Sgt. LaCerra, yet they kept the prosecution going for 3 years," he said.
Killoran is the head of the Public Corruption Unit. He called the confrontation disgusting and unprofessional.
"I'm just doing my job, but apparently captains like to get up in my face and try to intimidate prosecutors. They should know nobody is above the law and we will continue to prosecute these cases to the fullest of our ability," he said.
Krickovich plans to push to get his job back, along with back pay.
But Broward Sheriff Gregory was quick to release a statement saying Krickovich won't be wearing a BSO uniform under his watch.
"The Broward Sheriff's Office maintains an unwavering commitment to holding all employees accountable. Under my administration we will never be an organization that finds excessive force tolerable. That standard has been set at the Broward Sheriff's Office and will not change. Independent criminal investigations or convictions of former employees do not supersede BSO's administrative policies, standards, or expectations."
We reached out to Rolle's attorney, but have not heard back yet.