ORLANDO, Fla. — A man who lost his spleen after being kneed in the stomach by an Orlando police officer is still fighting for restitution for his medical bills.
Robert Liese was kneed in the stomach by Peter Delio, who was sentenced to 51 weeks in the county jail after being convicted of battery charges for the incident.
Read: Former Orlando police officer guilty of battery sentenced to 51 weeks in jail
Liese’s attorney filed a motion for restitution in February, but nothing has happened since then.
Liese said the state promised to help him out if he testified, but the state so far hasn’t followed through.
Surveillance video recorded the incident where Delio kneed a handcuffed Liese, who had been arrested over a dispute about a bar tab.
“I woke up to the nurse telling me they were going to put me under because they were going to remove my spleen,” Liese said.
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Liese has since moved to be with family in Rhode Island so they can help him deal with his health issues.
After the beating, Liese missed two years of work and racked up big medical bills.
“I’ve got $75,000 in hospital bills that’s preventing me from moving on,” he said.
Read: Victim of Orlando police battery wants judge to reduce jail time for former officer
Delio lost his job after the incident and has already served his time in jail.
"I'm still sitting here left holding the bag. The state got what they wanted; the prosecutor she got what she wanted,” said Liese.
Read: Man kneed in the gut by former OPD officer takes the stand in court
Six weeks ago, the state attorney’s office told Channel 9’s Jeff Deal a new prosecutor took over the case, but had just returned from maternity leave.
Since then, Liese said he still hasn’t heard anything, prompting him to write a letter to Gov. Rick Scott Wednesday.
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“I am reaching out to you because I do not know where else to turn,” he wrote. “By no means do I want to get rich at all. I just want some of what I lost.”
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