Florida TV K-9 deputy charged with assault

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COOPER CITY, Fla., July 15 (UPI) -- A Florida lawman featured in a television reality show was released on bail after being charged with assaulting a teenager two years ago, jail officials said.

Broward County Deputy Sheriff Gerald Wengert and his police dog Bali had been featured last year on "Unleashed: K-9 Broward County," a Learning Channel series chronicling the activities of sheriff's department dog handlers, The Miami Herald said.

Wengert, 33, was charged with battery, misconduct and falsifying records and was suspended without pay, a spokesman for the sheriff's office said.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel said Wengert was accused of roughing up one Mark Visconti, then 17, after the teenager got into a verbal altercation with the deputy's girlfriend over his alleged reckless driving, the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Wengert allegedly raced to the scene while on duty and wrestled Visconti from his vehicle with the assistance of Bali.

Investigators determined that Wengert's girlfriend had phoned Wengert personally rather than calling the 911 dispatcher, the Herald said.