4 April 11-17, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | news | letters | coNteNts | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ HOMESTEAD HORNY DETECTIVE? HOMESTEAD COP ALLEGEDLY USED BADGE FOR HOOKUPS. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN A Homestead Police Department de- tective is under investigation by the internal affairs department over claims that he carried on an inappropriate re- lationship with a woman, at times allegedly showering her with romantic texts, while he handled a stalking case against her ex-boy- friend, whom he later arrested. In early June 2023, detective Pedro “Pete” Perez was assigned to a case involving the woman’s ex-boyfriend, Julio Trejo, who was accused of contacting her from an unknown number and driving by her house in defiance of a restraining order. Perez arrested Trejo on July 14, and he was charged with aggravated stalking and violating a temporary injunction, according to a police report. Months later, Trejo claims, he learned the detective had been canoodling with his ex, the mother of his children, while assigned to the case. He tells New Times he found texts Perez had sent the woman, including mes- sages telling her how wonderful she smelled and how he wanted to kiss her during the month-long police investigation. Trejo’s case is listed as nolle prosequi, meaning prosecutors did not pursue the charges, according to Miami-Dade County court records. In an email to Trejo’s attorney, the Miami- Dade State Attorney’s Office said the case was “nolle prossed as a result of the victim not wanting to proceed forward and as a result of the lead officer on the case facing disciplinary action due to his involvement with the victim.” Perez is a nearly 20-year veteran with the Homestead Police Department. He was once honored with an “Officer of the Month” award, with the city praising his investigative skills and work ethic. Trejo, 32, has a complaint pending with the police department over the detective’s al- leged misconduct with his ex-girlfriend. He claims to have found the romantic text mes- sages to his ex on his son’s Apple Watch, which once belonged to the mother. “I discovered old messages from the end of June to early July where Detective Perez states how well [the woman] smelled, and how next time he’s not going to mention the kiss and that he’s just going to kiss her,” the internal affairs complaint reads. Other texts cited in the internal affairs complaint allegedly show the detective say- ing, “Glad we got that kiss out of the way. Hope it was to your liking.” Trejo now questions if the arrest was the product of a personal vendetta, given the de- tective was allegedly hitting on the mother of his children and pursuing her romantically. “It wouldn’t sit right with anyone knowing that you got arrested by this man and then this comes to light,” Trejo tells New Times. “Maybe if he had met her, filed the charges, and someone else went and arrested me in family court, it wouldn’t feel so personal.” In his complaint, Trejo claims the detec- tive’s actions were unprofessional. He claims his ex put a stop to the relationship with Perez once she learned he was married. There have been other alleged reports of questionable victim interactions by Perez in family court or domestic violence investiga- tions. In his situation, Trejo claims, the detec- tive held himself out as a caring figure and then took advantage of a woman in a weak spot. “There’s a helpful aspect of, ‘Don’t worry, if your boyfriend does something, reach out to me,’ which is what he told her,” Trejo adds. “He is coming off as this very helpful guy, which is BS. He just wants to get in her pants.” Perez was honored as Homestead’s “Offi- cer of the Month” in 2012. His peers praised him for his patrol work and diligence in a burglary investigation that led to the capture of several suspects and the recovery of com- puters stolen from a school. The city said Per- ez’s “work ethic is second to none, with a resolve for a healthier community.” Homestead’s mayor at the time called Perez “one of the finest officers on the force.” A Homestead police spokesperson told New Times via email that the detective is still on duty while the investigation unfolds. The spokesperson did not respond to ques- tions regarding the allegations of an inappro- priate relationship. A spokesperson for the South Florida Po- lice Benevolent Association, a union that rep- resents Homestead police, declined to comment when reached by New Times. Perez has worked for the Homestead Po- lice Department since October 2005, accord- ing to his Florida Department of Law Enforcement profile. Before joining Home- stead’s police force, he worked for the Florida International University Police Department. | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Homestead police officer Pedro Perez (holding plaque) was honored as officer of the month in August 2012. Homestead Police Department photo ▼ FLORIDA CONDOMS AND CONES HOW GEN-Z IS GETTING FLORIDA’S YOUTH TO THE POLLS. BY ALEX DELUCA G en-Z Floridians want to connect with fellow young voters about critical issues — and what better way to do that than with rubbers and rolling papers? Following yesterday’s momentous dual Flor- ida Supreme Court decisions, which ruled that both recreational weed legalization and abor- tion rights protections will be on the November 2024 ballot, student-led political action com- mittee Florida Future Leaders kickstarted a unique campaign to mobilize youth to the polls later this year. On Monday, the group began doling out the emergency contraceptive Plan B, rolling papers, election education materials, and condoms with the text, “Don’t Get F*cked by the GOP. Protect Abortion in Florida,” in which the “U” in “Fucked” is supplanted with an elephant, a symbol of the Republican Party. “With two critical issues — the right to choice and marijuana — both being on the ballot this year, we have a real opportunity to shape the electoral landscape here in Florida through the youth vote,” Florida Future Leaders chair Jayden D’Onofrio tells New Times. Launched in February, Florida Future Lead- ers is a state PAC that recruits high school and college-age progressives to help engage young voters and flip political offices blue in Florida. While there are enough young Democrats to flip key seats across the state, the group ex- plains, the problem is simply getting young people to vote. D’Onofrio, a 19-year-old studying political sci- ence at Tallahassee Community College, says the PAC is entirely youth- and student-led. (“This isn’t your parents’ organizing,” the group’s site asserts.) The PAC raised $100,000 within its first month of fundraising last year, according to Flor- ida Politics. “Our biggest thing is we want to engage youth, but we’re doing youth engagement through youth,” D’Onofrio says. “It’s youth organizing youth, and youth leading youth.” According to a Tufts University study of the 2022 midterm elec- tion, Florida had the sixteenth highest youth voter turnout rate among U.S. states, with a 22.4 per- cent voter turnout between ages 18 to 29. Michi- gan saw the highest youth turnout in the country at nearly 37 percent, with Maine, Minnesota, Ore- gon, and Colorado following in that order. “We’ve seen in the past in Florida a complete lack of youth organizing efforts, especially ef- forts that are led by youth themselves,” D’Onofrio says. “Florida Future Leaders com- pletely bridges that gap.” The PAC plans to hand out the materials at Florida Atlantic University, Florida State Univer- sity, Florida A&M University, University of Central Florida, and other campuses until November. D’Onofrio said in a press release that their distribution of items like condoms and rolling papers is “not just about celebration.” “It’s about education and empowerment,” he said, claiming his group is providing “tangible reminders to youth voters that these are the exact items Republican lawmakers wish we did not have.” [email protected] “WE HAVE A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO SHAPE THE ELECTORAL LANDSCAPE HERE IN FLORIDA THROUGH THE YOUTH VOTE.”
