By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Former Sunrise Police Sgt. Christopher Pullease, charged in 2022 with battery and assault after body-camera video showed him grabbing a fellow officer by the throat, has been admitted into Florida’s Veterans Treatment Intervention Court Program.
- The underlying incident occurred Nov. 19, 2021, when Pullease responded to a fight call at a Sunrise convenience store and later turned on a subordinate officer who had pulled him away from a confrontation with a suspect.
- A Broward County court approved the unopposed transfer to Veterans Court earlier this month, citing Pullease’s service-related eligibility under Florida law.
- Pullease, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served from 1996 to 2000, retired from the department in November 2022 after learning he was under criminal investigation.
- If he completes the roughly 18-month treatment program, the pending charges will be dismissed, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
SUNRISE, Fla. — A former Sunrise Police sergeant facing criminal charges for grabbing a fellow officer by the throat during a 2021 call has been accepted into a state veterans treatment program, according to court records.
Body-worn camera footage from the Nov. 19, 2021, incident showed then-Sgt. Christopher Pullease confronting a suspect, identified in court records as Jean Similien, outside a convenience store before a female officer intervened to defuse the situation. Video showed Pullease turning and grabbing the officer by the throat, pushing her into a nearby patrol vehicle.
An arrest warrant was issued for Pullease in 2022 on charges including battery on an officer, assault on an officer, assault on a civilian, and tampering with evidence. Pullease retired from the department on Nov. 4, 2022, two months after learning he was under criminal investigation, submitting a brief resignation memo to then-Chief Anthony Rosa.
Earlier this month, a Broward County court granted an unopposed motion from Pullease’s defense attorney to transfer the case to Veterans Court. Under Florida law, defendants are eligible for the program if they have a documented service-related mental health condition, traumatic brain injury, substance use disorder, or related psychological issue. Pullease served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1996 to 2000 and was honorably discharged.
Defense attorney Michael Dutko said Pullease met the program’s eligibility requirements and is currently receiving Department of Veterans Affairs services for service-related disability issues. Under the statute governing the program, prosecutors cannot object to a transfer request if the defendant qualifies and no listed victims object, a State Attorney’s Office spokesperson said.
The case remains pending. Veterans Court treatment programs typically last about 18 months; defendants who complete the program have their charges dismissed, while those who do not can be returned to standard criminal proceedings or enter a plea, officials said.