MIRAMAR, Fla. – An Opa-locka police sergeant is facing criminal charges after Miramar police arrested him Tuesday, accusing him of beating his wife and children.
According to an arrest report, Sgt. Johane Taylor Jr., who resides in Miramar, is accused of beating his wife and children over the years, beginning in 2014.
He had nothing to say after bonding out of jail late Wednesday afternoon, running to a waiting car that quickly sped off once he was inside.
Taylor is the brother of Opa-locka Mayor John Taylor.
Police said that abuse would often happen in front of his children.
During one incident, authorities said he dragged his wife out of a car and threw her onto the floor, hitting her, while four children were in the back seat.
Another time the victim lost consciousness during a beating, a report states. She said she was left bruised and with broken ribs.
In January, police said Taylor put a gun to the the woman’s forehead, saying he was going to kill her, before eventually putting it away.
Taylor’s wife said he threatened her, telling her not to report the crimes.
Taylor is also accused of beating three of his children, aged 7, 10 and 13.
The arrest report said their mother reported that he would “would line the three children up after they did something that was not to his liking and would hit them with a belt the number of times that was equal to their ages,” leaving them bruised.
The children’s maternal grandmother also reported seeing Taylor hitting the oldest child in the head with a vacuum cleaner.
Taylor is now facing several serious charges including felony battery, aggravated child abuse and assault.
He’s been arrested before. A judge imposed a stay-away order in 2008 after another woman accused him of battering her.
The city of Opa-locka released a statement regarding Taylor’s arrest Wednesday evening.
“The City of Opa-locka and its police department have a zero-tolerance policy for police misconduct,” it said.
A city spokesperson said following his arrest, “the decision was made to immediately relieve Sergeant Taylor of duty without pay pending the results of an investigation.”