MANATEE — Palmetto police officer David J. Filipiak was arrested Friday morning at his police department by Manatee County sheriff’s deputies, charged with aggravated domestic assault with a deadly weapon, a third-degree felony.
According to court documents, Filipiak’s wife accused him of pointing his police-issued Taser and his privately-owned AR-15 rifle at her and the two children she has from a previous relationship — a 14-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy.
“Since David’s recent suspension from the department, his behavior has become unpredictable and he has been making threats against some of his fellow officers and has placed (his wife) in fear of her life,” the documents state. Palmetto police spokesman Lt. Scott Tyler said Filipiak’s previous suspension stemmed from a minor violation of administrative rules.
The warrant for Filipiak’s arrest states that he would clean his AR-15 rifle and then walk through the house brandishing the weapon, practicing what he called “maneuvers.”
His wife “said at those times he would point the rifle at her or the children and say, ‘I could kill you or anyone at any time and get away with it,’” the warrant states. (His wife) said she did not know if the gun was loaded but it always had a magazine in it when he pointed it at them.”
The court documents allege he pointed the Taser’s integral red laser at the children, placing the red dot on the children’s chests.
Filipiak, 45, was hired by the Palmetto Police Department in October 2000, after previously working at the Bradenton Police Department.
Palmetto Police Chief Rick Wells confirmed Friday that the rifle used in the alleged assault was privately owned by Filipiak, and not a department-issue weapon.
Wells would not discuss the officer’s work history, or state how he had fared on the department’s psychiatric examination.
“I’m not going to get into any of that. We’re going to let the investigation unfold and then make a determination,” Wells said. Last year, Filipiak was suspended for two days without pay after he responded to his girlfriend’s residence when she was having custody problems with an ex-boyfriend, and did not tell his supervisors he had been dating the woman for three months. Filipiak remains in the county jail. His bond has yet to be set, according to sheriff’s spokesman Dave Bristow.
Filipiak was relieved of duty and placed on administrative leave by the Palmetto Police Department, according to a written statement, which states that the action was taken after the agency learned of “alleged incidents of domestic violence committed by Officer Filipiak.”
The officer will remain on administrative leave pending the disposition of his criminal charges, and the conclusion of an internal investigation by Palmetto police.
