Deputy resigns after berating female driver

After being cut off in traffic, an off-duty jail deputy confronted the motorist at her fast-food job, berating her and flashing his holstered gun in front of her boss, investigators said. Frederick Schwab, a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office employee since October 2006, resigned last month in lieu of dismissal.

An internal affairs report concluded Schwab "failed to deal with individuals of the community in a manner calculated to instill respect for its laws and its police service."

On Nov. 13, the report said, Schwab, 49, was in his Nissan on State Road 60 in Valrico waiting to turn into a Taco Bell parking lot when a 2001 GMC Denali pulled in front of him.

The woman, who worked at Taco Bell, said Schwab entered the restaurant and told her: "You need to learn how to drive. I can have you arrested and I can put you in jail because you cut me off."

The woman, who is not named, told investigators she apologized and said she made a mistake. But Schwab showed his badge and continued arguing.

The woman said her supervisor took her aside and told her not to make any more conflict.

A restaurant manager told investigators Schwab caused the disturbance.

"He's pretty much hollering at her saying that he's going to put her in handcuffs, and he showed me his badge," she said.

The manager said Schwab kept complaining and being disruptive, so she asked him to leave. She accompanied Schwab outside with her husband, who wanted to get the deputy's badge number.

The manager said her husband told Schwab, "You shouldn't bring your road rage in here." Schwab pulled out his badge and holstered gun.

She couldn't recall whether the gun was pointed at her, but didn't believe anything violent was going to happen. Her husband told investigators he stepped aside when Schwab showed the gun "because the firearm was pointed at his stomach," the report states.

Schwab, who worked at Orient Road Jail, told investigators his car nearly ended up in a retention pond after being cut off. He said he confronted the driver and later spoke with a manager and a man in the parking lot.

"Deputy Schwab testified after showing both subjects his Sheriff's Office credentials and discussing the incident, he attempted to remove his car keys from his pocket," the report states. "Deputy Schwab testified, 'I have a little (Kel-Tec 32 handgun) in my pocket. And I took it out, it was almost completely concealed with my hand to get my keys and then I put it back in my pocket and that's when my daughter said, 'Dad, come on, you're wasting your time.'"

Schwab told investigators the man said his badge wasn't real. "And I'm like, 'Yes, it's real,'" Schwab said. "I said, 'This (gun) is real too.'"

He added: "I don't think I was belligerent with anyone. I might have been loud, I didn't wave my weapon. I didn't point my weapon."