ORLANDO, Fla. – A Central Florida police officer was arrested and placed on leave after officials say he forced his wife to beg for her life while holding her at knifepoint.
According to the arrest report, Clermont police officer Erwin Ramirez demanded the woman apologize to him on Sunday after they had been arguing throughout the week about his treatment of the children. The victim told police, Ramirez "came at her aggressively" and she fell to the ground in the fetal position. She said when she tried to leave Ramirez would not let her, or let her use her phone.
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The arrest report says also choked his wife on Saturday.
The Orlando Sentinel reported the officer's wife told responding officers that they'd been arguing about treatment of their children when Ramirez "came at her aggressively." She said her husband "got a crazed look on his face and said, "It's too late, I have to kill you now."
Ramirez was arrested Sunday on charges of felony battery, domestic violence and aggravated assault. He remains in the Lake County jail.
“Police officers are held to very high standards and It’s an unfortunate event and very disheartening whenever a police officer is charged criminally," Clermont police Chief Charles Broadway told WKMG-TV following the arrest. "This arrest is in no way indicative of the fine men and women of the Clermont Police Department who commit their lives to service, building community trust, and day in and day out earn the title of the Finest Professionals.”
Ramirez was hired in 2007 by the department and is currently a road patrol supervisor.
Victims of domestic violence can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, available 24 hours a day, at 1-800-799-7233.