A veteran Special Victims Unit detective with the Broward Sheriff's Office was arrested Tuesday for allegedly closing out numerous sex crime cases without a thorough investigation, falsifying information and threatening a victim with deportation, officials said.
Demetrious Campbell, 48, faces nine counts of official misconduct and one count of extortion, the Broward Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
"Sex offenses are such heinous crimes to recover from because of the emotional and sometimes physical scars endured by victims that last for many years," Sheriff Gregory Tony said. “I expect all BSO employees to serve with virtuous character and integrity. Failure to fully investigate such serious crimes is reprehensible and downright disgraceful."
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Officials said one victim had recently contacted the SVU to check on the status of her sexual battery case, and when Campbell's supervisor asked him about the case, he told them the victim had been uncooperative, refused an examination and didn't want police to investigate further. But the victim felt the exact opposite and was cooperative and consented to an examination, officials said.
This caused the supervisor to become suspicious and reopen the case to investigate it, BSO said. From there, he started reviewing Campbell's other cases and found 25 cases in 2022 and eight cases in 2023 that were classified as unfounded.
BSO's Public Corruption Unit started investigating Campbell's cases last month and found that of the approximately 99 sex crime and abuse cases he was assigned to from October 2021 to March 2023, 41 of those cases were classified as unfounded. They also noticed discrepancies in Campbell's supplemental reports compared to the evidence and information documented in his cases, BSO said.
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Campbell had also allegedly told one of the victims to not use her case to get a U-visa and threatened to have her deported, BSO said.
BSO said the investigation into the 41 cases is "ongoing."
"The public can rest assured all unfounded SVU cases investigated by Campbell will be reopened and thoroughly reviewed," Tony said. "Victims of any crime have a right to have their cases fully investigated and their violators arrested."
Cambell, who joined BSO in 2002, was suspended without pay. He remained booked in BSO's main jail, and attorney information wasn't available.
