FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Coral Springs police officer was arrested Wednesday after dragging his wife out their car and driving off with their 1-year-old son, deputies said.
Stephen Degerdon, 32, faces a charge of domestic battery.
According to a Broward Sheriff's Office arrest report, Degerdon got into an argument with his wife and punched a hole in the kitchen wall.
His wife told deputies that her husband warned her not to take their son away with her for the night and deflated the air out of her car's two front-side tires with a crowbar.
According to the wife, Degerdon grabbed some of their son's belongings and diaper bag and placed him in his car.
Deputies said the victim got into the backseat but Degerdon grabbed her right arm and "violently pulled her out of the vehicle." They said he then drove off with their child.
Deputies said the wife told Degerdon that she was calling the police as he drove away.
According to a SunSentinel report, Degerdon was clear on his way to being fired from the Coral Springs Police Department in 2011 after being charged with two counts of battery on a suspect.
According to the report, Degerdon choked a man who was a suspect in a car burglary and his termination was recommended by Chief Duncan Foster.
Degerdon's attorneys said he completed six months of probation in that case.
Degerdon was on administrative leave without pay at the time of the report. His current status with the police department is unclear.
Deputies said Degerdon and his wife have been married for five years.
Broward County Judge John Hurley ordered Degerdon to be at least 500 feet away from his wife and only have indirect contact with her if it involves their child.
Degerdon must also surrender any weapons he owns or permits to carry such weapons.
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