13-05-2025
Former Hendry County sheriff's deputy, Fort Myers Police officer gets federal prison
A former Hendry County sheriff's deputy convicted of using excessive force will spend just few than three years in federal prison, a judge ruled this week.
District Judge Sheri P. Chappell sentenced Tyler Williams, 30, of Cape Coral, to 33 months in federal prison for violating an individual's civil rights and obstructing justice. A federal jury convicted Williams on February 7.
According to evidence presented at trial, on July 4, 2023, Williams, while acting under color of law as a sheriff's deputy with the Hendry County Sheriff's Office, "willfully deprived the civil rights of an individual" by throwing him to the ground while he was handcuffed, knocking him unconscious.
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Authorities said Williams then wrote a false justification for the use of force in an incident report, obstructing justice.
Captured on his body-worn camera, former District Attorney Roger Handberg said during an April 2024 press conference, Williams placed the suspect in handcuffs and walked the man to the rear of his patrol car to conduct a search.
Williams' supervisor was on scene and had a conversation about the events, Handberg said. The suspect attempted to talk to Williams.
In response to one of those attempts, authorities said, Williams grabbed the man by the shoulders and threw him. Handcuffed, the victim could not brace himself.
The man was unconscious after his chin hit the asphalt. Williams then yelled at the victim.
Williams was first placed on administrative leave and then fired from the sheriff's office.
Before he joined the sheriff's office, Williams was fired Feb. 23, 2021 from the Fort Myers Police Department after an internal investigation claimed he violated four policies during a January 2020 traffic stop, leading to the death of a toddler.
He worked five years with Fort Myers Police.
In those five years, Williams was put on paid administrative leave once following an officer-involved shooting in 2017. An investigation found Williams was justified in using deadly force.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@ or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Ex-Hendry County sheriff's deputy gets federal prison for use of force
