TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hillsborough Deputy's Accuser Faces Perjury Charges

ADVERTISEMENT

By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 19, 2008

TAMPA - A Tampa man who accused a Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy of roughing him up late last year while he was trying to comfort his girlfriend has been charged with two counts of perjury and one count of making a false report to law enforcement.

Robert Kehr-Orzechowski, 31, was arrested Friday at his home.

He had said Deputy Kevin Stabins unnecessarily arrested him on a misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer without violence Dec. 30 after the man reported his girlfriend had been raped and he tried to return to her side.

"You have an individual that's basically made up a bunch of facts that are totally untrue," sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

According to a sheriff's office release today:

Stabins told Kehr-Orzechowski several times to remain at the bottom of the stairs while he checked on the welfare of Kehr-Orzechowski's girlfriend. Kehr-Orzechowski didn't comply, instead following him upstairs.

Stabins arrested Kehr-Orzechowski, placed him in handcuffs and led him down the stairwell and into the back seat of the deputy's patrol car.

Kehr-Orzechowski said in January that Stabins had used excessive or unnecessary force, making "numerous accusations to multiple individuals indicating Deputy Stabins "beat him." The Tampa Tribune wrote a story that included Kehr-Orzechowski's allegations.

Kehr-Orzechowski, of 5414 Rosemont Ave., signed a perjury affidavit before being interviewed by Internal Affairs detectives.

Witnesses told deputies that no excessive force was used, and Kehr-Orzechowski's girlfriend "recanted her testimony and provided additional information in support of Deputy Stabins."

Carter said she hopes people recognize that Stabins did nothing inappropriate.

"He's exonerated by law enforcement," she said. "But unfortunately, sometimes the public has a tendency to forget and only remember the bad things – even when they're not true."

Kehr-Orzechowski's bail was set at $6,000. He has since been released.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT