SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A former Seminole County deputy testified in court Tuesday against a driver who he says tried to kill him during a traffic stop.
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The case has taken more than four years to go to trial.
42-yaer-old Rocky Rudolph is accused of dragging former deputy Aaron Blaise with his SUV in 2019.
Opening statements started Tuesday morning, before they moved right into testimony with Blaise rewatching his own body-worn camera video from the incident in court.
The video starts on a somewhat jovial note with Blaise commenting on Rudolph’s unique name during what started as a traffic stop for suspicion of illegal window tinting.
However, things quickly deteriorated as prosecutors say Rudolph eventually stopped following Blaise’s commands and a struggle ensued over the deputy’s gun.
That’s when prosecutors say Rudolph took off with Blaise still on the SUV, leaving the deputy badly injured.
Rudolph’s public defender told the jury during opening statements that the stop was never about Rudolph’s tint, but finding a legal reason to pull him over that day.
“Before he even gets out of the car, Deputy Blaise calls for the drug dogs for the sole purpose of searching the vehicle and removing Mr. Rudolph,” the public defender argued.
Blaise, who left law enforcement after the incident, was first up on the witness stand Tuesday and told the jury he was always proactive.
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During the traffic stop, Blaise said Rudolph appeared nervous and digging around a lot, looking for paper work. That’s when he noticed what looked like the imprint of a firearm under Rudolph’s shirt.
“That’s when the nervousness really escalated,” Blaise testified.
As the body-camera video played for the jury, showing Blaise being thrown from the suspect’s SUV, Blaise was asked about what he remembered.
“The last thing I remember was coming off the car,” Blaise recalled. “After that, I was being loaded into an ambulance and a supervisor told me, ‘hey, I’ve called your wife.’”
Rudolph’s attorney tried to poke holes in Blaise’s testimony during cross-examination, continuing to inquire as to whether Blaise was intent on pulling Rudolph over regardless.
Blaise maintained that he believed Rudolph was trying to kill him.
“I realized that he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking past me,” Blaise said on the stand.
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Blaise was cleared of any wrong-doing in the case by several investigations, including one by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Prosecutors are expected to wrap up their case Wednesday morning before the defense begins presenting their witnesses.
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