POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A corrections officer accused of grabbing a woman’s face and forcing her to the ground was arrested Wednesday, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said on Dec. 12, Joshua Diaz, a 35-year-old corrections officer from Kissimmee, got into an argument with a woman before he grabbed her face.
The victim later told deputies she pushed Diaz away from her, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her to the ground. Authorities said the woman managed to break free and went to the bedroom where Diaz shut the door and threw her on the bed telling her, “You’re not leaving.”
Deputies said Diaz then physically blocked the door.
That’s when the woman got a firearm from the closet and told Diaz to leave. Diaz then left.
Sometime after the incident, the woman came forward telling deputies she waited to report the incident because she didn’t want Diaz to be fired from his job.
“People who work in a position of public trust are held to a higher standard, as they should be,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “Diaz violated this trust through his violent actions. He will be held accountable.”
“If anyone finds themselves in an abusive relationship, they need to get help,” Judd added. “There are resources available to help victims of domestic violence.”
Diaz was arrested Wednesday and is currently in the Polk County Jail being held without bond.