A Broward County, Florida judge ruled
Friday that openly gay deputy Jonathan Bleiweiss will be allowed to
go to Oregon until his trial, the Sun Sentinel reported.
Bleiweiss, 29, is accused of
intimidating undocumented men, most of whom were in their late teens
or early 20s, into performing sexual acts after the 7-year veteran
deputy pulled them over during routine traffic stops. He is also
accused of stalking some of the men after they stopped returning his
calls.
Judge Michael Gates agreed to allow
Bleiweiss to stay in Oregon with his father and set bail at $250,000.
Bleiweiss was arrested in August when
he plead not guilty to two charges of sexual abuse. An additional
five charges were added in November. One more case is left to be
arraigned.
Bleiweiss' attorney has argued that
there is no physical evidence to convict his client.
Prosecutors added new charges to the
original complaint against Bleiweiss after investigators searched his
home, where they discovered police and law enforcement records on
nearly 30 men hidden inside a wooden chest in the bedroom. The
printouts of photos and personal information included Bleiweiss'
personal comments, such as “HOT JEEP GUY” and “HOT GUY IN
TOYOTA ECHO.”
In March 2008, Bleiweiss was named
Oakland
Park Employee of the Year and honored during a City Hall
ceremony. Bleiweiss' assigned beat included a large gay population.