PALM BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — A Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office deputy has bonded out of jail after facing a judge over an incident involving a confrontation with three young men.
Jerald Alderman appeared in court Friday after being arrested in connection with the Oct. 12 incident in Downtown West Palm Beach during which, authorities said, he threatened the men.
Cellphone video showed the off-duty deputy making some troubling threats.
“We could have died that night,” said Lekraig Bens, a driver.
Bens said he and his friends — Cartavias Henry and Hugens Saintvil — were enjoying a night out when they were confronted by the suspect, who claimed they hit his car.
“He got to my driver’s door and said, ‘You guys hit my Porsche,'” said Bens.
The men denied hitting the car, and said Alderman brandished his badge and gun in a threatening way.
“Get the [expletive] out of here now. What do you think will [expletive] happen after [expletive]? What do you think? Get the [expletive] out of here now,” the deputy is heard saying in the cellphone video.
“I just had a gun to my face, the barrel of a gun,” said Henry.
“It was just mind-blowing,” said Saintvil.
The victims said the off-duty deputy may have been under the influence.
“As he was doing this, we smelled liquor coming from his breath,” said Henry. “A strong smell of liquor.”
Alderman’s sobriety at the time of the incident was mentioned during the hearing when the list of charges were read.
“Three counts of aggravated assault. One count of an alcohol related offense with a firearm,” said the judge.
The judge set the deputy’s bond at $40,000 and ordered him to stay away from the victims.
He is no longer allowed to have weapons in his possession and must also undergo random drug testing.
The men were grateful they made it out of the experience alive.
“I’m enjoying a night, and in a matter of seconds, it could have changed for all of us,” said Bens.
Alderman is currently on paid administrative leave.
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