MIAMI (WSVN) - A woman’s request for a permanent restraining order against the president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police has been rejected.
Claudia Castillo said a Miami-Dade police officer crossed the line, and she recorded video of him speeding before pulling him over. Her video of her chastising him for it went viral when she posted it online, early last year. That video then made national headlines.
The president of the Fraternal Order of Police, Javier Ortiz then shared several things on social media about Castillo, including her personal information on a business card and captioned it, “Feel free to call Claudia Castillo at her cell and let her know drinking and driving on a boat isn’t safe,” it said. “It’s important that law enforcement is aware of this woman.”
Castillo was since granted a temporary restraining order against Ortiz.
Castillo said that in March, she felt threatened by him when she testified before a civilian panel about her complaint against Ortiz. She claimed that he stalked her after she was at city hall.
“Looking over my shoulder, wondering which police officers are gonna be the good cops and which ones were gonna be the bad cops that might be upset about what I posted because Lieutenant Ortiz had put a target on my back,” Castillo said in court.
When asked if she was afraid of Ortiz, Castillo said, “Yes, I am.”
Ortiz explained his side of the story in court. “Listen, if I wanted to put out a threat, I would. There’s no threat. I’m not a threat to her. I’m a lot of things, but I’m not a stalker,” he said. “This became, not only a public safety concern for police officers in which I represent as a whole, but when she put it under public scrutiny and made statements about police officers, I wanted to show that she’s a hypocrite, and there’s a whole other side to this story.”
Attorneys for Ortiz said she has no reason to be afraid and that he is not a threat.
The judge expressed doubt about Castillo’s stalking claims.
“You attempted to leave, he followed you to the parking lot. Your own testimony didn’t support that,” said Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Deborah White-Labora.
The judge said she is not condoning the behavior of either one of them, but in this case, she sided with Ortiz and decided not to grant the permanent restraining order. She also told Ortiz that he acted inappropriately when encouraging others to contact Castillo, and if it continues, he may end up back in court.
While Castillo didn’t speak after the ruling, her attorney said she is still pleased attention was brought to Ortiz’s behavior.
“I think she’s happy that internal affairs sanctioned him,” Castillo’s attorney, Paul Petruzzi, said. “She’s happy that the CIP sanctioned him.”
Ortiz said he is just looking out for law enforcement. “If there’s a public safety concern or something brought to the public, you know that I have absolutely no problem bringing that up,” he said.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.