The Orange County Sheriff’s office deputy involved in a highly publicized case of police brutality against a 21-year-old woman student in Orlando, has been relieved of his law enforcement responsibilities and is currently on an administrative reassignment; Richard Nye is waiting for the results of a Professional Standards investigation.
Four months ago and off duty Officer Brett Parnell called his colleague Nye, to help out with a trespassing incident at an off-campus residential complex for University of Central Florida students called The Retreat.
Shortly after, Valencia student Deirdra Reid and Reginald Lane Jr. found themselves being placed in custody for “trespassing.”
However, they were at the housing unit at the invitation of a friend.
A video shows Reid was yelping in pain and shouting for help as Parnell forced her to the ground while her hands were behind her back.
“You’re going to jail tonight”
Parnell’s own son lives at the complex.
A witness Huguens Gustave revealed how it all started. Reid asked the boy to open the complex’s computer lab door because as a non-resident she did not have a key to get inside.
Gustave understands she was there to meet a friend who lives at The Retreat.
The Parnell boy had an argument with her, following this he went to his father in tears.
Following this, he took his badge from his car and proceeded to the clubhouse, way he told Reid that she needed to leave immediately. The African-American woman refused.
“The girl told him that he needs to teach his son some manners, and that’s when they started arguing back and forth,” according to Gustave.
Then Parnell asked her for her identification, she refused but then later agreed to get it from a car outside. As she tried to leave, Parnell blocked her way.
Further argument ensued and during the bitter clash Gustave heard the off duty police officer say to her: “you are going to jail tonight”.
Reid repeatedly told Parnell not to lay his hands on her. Eventually, he called for backup when Nye arrived.
He grabbed her wrist and tried to put her hands behind her back.
Another witness Olivia Ferguson says she was pushed to the ground with such force that it dislocated her shoulder.
“You can see her arm about to pop out of place. She was screaming ‘help! Help! My arm, my arm’,” recalls Ferguson.
Someone ended up calling Reid’s mother who was on the phone hearing the an entire exchange.
Several onlookers had gathered by now and began to protest. One of them was Lane, who one of the officers kneed in the groin.
“I was in pain. I had to hold my groans because I was in pain and [the officer] thought I was resisting arrest,” he said.
In a span of, what witnesses describe as, a 10 to 15 minute window both students had been arrested and were piled into different vehicles, Reid ended up in hospital.
A history of violence?
This is not the first time that Nye has faced an enquiry.
He has had five courtesy and respect breaches, three investigative procedures – which included two inappropriate searches and another two for the use of unnecessary force.
Watch the video below: