A Florida deputy was busted for convincing two children that demons were inside their home, leading cops to find the youngsters armed with a rifle, Taser and body armor — and ready to shoot whoever entered, authorities alleged.
Orange County Deputy Christopher Dougherty was arrested Sunday on child abuse charges three days after deputies responded to a home for a residential alarm call and found “evidence of child abuse” there, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.
He and the children, whose ages were not provided, each had weapons in their possession when deputies responded to the residence, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Orlando Sentinel.
Dougherty had a handgun on him at the time, as one of the children was lying in a shooting position while gripping a rifle and wearing body armor and a Kevlar helmet, the affidavit states.
The second child, meanwhile, allegedly had a Taser. Dougherty told the youngsters that there were demons in the house and to shoot anyone who entered, the children told authorities, according to the affidavit.
Deputies took Dougherty, 37, to a hospital, where he was held under the state’s Baker Act, which allows the involuntary institutionalization of someone deemed to be a threat to themselves or others.
He was arrested Sunday upon his release from the hospital and subsequently fired from the department for poor performance in an unrelated matter, sheriff officials said.
“While this deputy was terminated for a pattern of unsatisfactory performance, these are very serious criminal allegations,” Sheriff John Mina said in a statement. “As law enforcement officers, we are held to the highest standards of conduct whether on duty or off duty. But we are also concerned about the deputy’s mental health.”
An Orange County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson declined to indicate whether Dougherty — who was hired in 2006 and worked in the agency’s uniform patrol division — is the father of the children or to provide their ages or gender.
“There is no additional information for us to provide,” the spokesperson wrote in an email Monday to The Post. “That is an active criminal investigation.”
Sheriff officials did not provide details Monday on the unrelated manner that led to his termination.