Palm Coast, FL - A Flagler County Sheriff's Office (FCSO) deputy was injured by a suspect in Palm Coast and taken to the hospital for a dislocated shoulder after the suspect resisted arrest and threw the deputy over his body.
Officials responded to a scene at 135 Florida Park Dr. just before 10:30 PM on Wednesday after reports of a violation of injunction for stalking. 42-year-old Leslie Pitter, who has a lengthy criminal history in Flagler County, was the suspect in the case. Deputies Phil Conway and George Bender began to take Pitter into custody.
As the deputies were trying to handcuff Pitter, FCSO says that Pitter began violently resisting. Conway and Pitter began to struggle, and Pitter threw Conway over his body. The two men fell to the ground. Conway dislocated his left shoulder when he hit the pavement. Deputies tased Pitter and were able to secure him and take him into custody. According to FCSO, Pitter taunted Conway during the incident.
Conway was taken by ambulance to Florida Hospital Flagler for treatment. He is expected to make a full recovery but will be out of work for some time. "Deputy Conway is an outstanding deputy and was in a lot of pain but was being strong,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly says.
Pitter has been arrested by FCSO 11 other times since 2007. His previous charges have ranged from violation of injunctions for protection to resisting arrest and domestic violence. Pitter was arrested for the violation of injunction charge and also charged with resisting arrest with violence and aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer. He was held at the Flagler County Detention Facility without bond.
“Let me make this clear, if you think you can attack my deputies, we’re going to go after you with the full force of the law,” says Staly. “This was a simple misdemeanor arrest and he violently resisted and is now charged with two additional felony charges because he thought he was a tough guy. I hope the prosecutor and the courts throw the book at him and this dirtbag goes away for a long time.”
(Pitter's mugshot courtesy Flagler County Jail)
Here you can find body camera video footage from
Bender and
Conway, courtesy FCSO.
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