The first of a two-day hearing began Tuesday for Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony – a hearing that could impact whether he remains the county’s top cop.
Tony appeared via Zoom for the hearing, which stems from allegations that the sheriff lied when getting a new driver’s license back in 2019 by failing to disclose his license had been suspended.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement filed the complaint. Prosecutors brought up a copy of Tony’s 2019 driver’s license application during the hearing, which is only expected to last two days and doesn’t have a jury.
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On Tuesday, prosecutors questioned the DMV worker who processed the application.
"Did you ask him whether or not his driving privilege had ever been revoked, suspended or denied in any state?" a prosecutor asked
"I believe I did," Brittni Wong said.
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The application shows that the question was marked with an "N" for "NO," which investigators say isn’t true.
Investigators said the sheriff’s driver's license had been suspended before in Pennsylvania.
Attorneys for the sheriff argued that the driver's license examiner who processed the application was in a hurry and used old information already in the system, which may not have been accurate.
"I felt rushed because Ms. Rolle was standing behind me. They wanted him in and out," Wong said. "They didn’t want so much commotion and people coming up to him during the process."
The outcome will determine whether Tony can hold on to his police certification. If Tony loses his law enforcement certification, he would essentially lose his ability to act as a law enforcement officer but would remain in office because sheriffs are elected.
