Head of Tamarac homeowners group accused of obstructing deputy
                             

Article Courtesy of The Sun Sentinel

By Sofia Santana

June 27, 2009

 

TAMARAC - A homeowners association president who confronted an undercover Broward sheriff's deputy parked in front of a vacant house has been charged with obstruction of justice, the Sheriff's Office says.

Raymond Hayden, 45, who leads the Shangri-La homeowner's association, said he became defensive when the deputy would not properly identify himself during the June 17 incident in the 8500 block of Cherry Blossom Lane.

Sheriff's Office officials say the situation's awkwardness was due to Hayden's admission to the deputy that he was carrying a firearm.

Hayden refused to surrender the gun when the plainclothes deputy asked to hold on to it as a safety measure while the two discussed the situation, according to a Sheriff's Office report.

The deputy threw Hayden to the ground and took the gun away, the report said.

Hayden and a neighbor who witnessed the struggle called 911 for help, but in the end it was Hayden who was penalized.

He was charged with obstruction of justice, a misdemeanor, and his wife surrendered the rest of his firearms to the Sheriff's Office, according to the report.

 

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