"Pioneering" Gay Deputy Cuffed for Sex Crimes

(Fort Lauderdale, Florida) A trumpeted gay activist who is also a Broward County Sheriff's deputy, Jonathan Bleiweiss, 29, was arrested Monday for the alleged sexual assault of illegals while in uniform and on the job.

Court documents released Tuesday portray Bleiweiss, 29, as a manipulative sex offender who preyed on illegal immigrants too scared to contact authorities. He would act like a jilted lover when the men would not return his calls or text messages, according to those records, based on victims' accounts.

Bleiweiss, arrested Monday, faces 14 charges, among them three counts of sexual battery by a person in authority, four counts of battery and one count of stalking. He's accused of intimidating at least eight men in his Oakland Park patrol district into performing sex acts with him during traffic stops.

Bleiweiss is somewhat of a celebrity within the South Florida gay crowd but the gay community distances itself from the deputy's alleged illegal sexual behavior.

In Oakland Park, leaders in both the city and gay communities say the actions the deputy is accused of may foster distrust for law enforcement.

"It affects our community at large, and it affects our gay community, too," said former Oakland Park mayor and commissioner Larry Gierer, who is gay. "It really can make the whole force look bad."

In January, Sgt. John Nash nominated Bleiweiss for Employee of the Year in the Oakland Park district. In his nomination letter, Nash included a long list of Bleisweiss' heroics, including making well over 100 arrests in the city.

Bleiweiss worked in the St. Petersburg Police Department before starting his current position in Broward County.

Tip: slwlion