KEY WEST, Fla. – A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office detention deputy was arrested Tuesday night by Key West police after a domestic violence incident, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
According to a police report, the victim told police she was trying to speak to Elias Emmanuel, 32, around 5:45 p.m. but he ignored her and was texting on his phone.
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Authorities said the victim grabbed the deputy’s phone, at which time he “pushed her to the ground, placed his knees on her chest and put his hands on her neck.”
The victim told police she nearly passed out.
Emmanuel was arrested on a charge of domestic battery by strangulation.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, an Internal Affairs investigation has since been opened into the incident and Emmanuel has been placed on unpaid leave pending the outcomes of both the criminal investigation and the Internal Affairs investigation.
Emmanuel has been employed by the Sheriff’s Office since Dec. 11, 2017, and currently works at the Monroe County Detention Center on Stock Island.