'Uncontrollable anger': Palm Beach Gardens police officer arrested for aggravated stalking, cyberstalking
A Palm Beach Gardens police officer was released on bond Saturday after being arrested Wednesday for aggravated stalking and cyberstalking an ex-girlfriend.
The accuser told WPBF 25 News she is still too shaken up to speak on camera. Investigators said they believe there others out there.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office responded to a home in Eustis in response to an internal investigation against Palm Beach Gardens Officer Bryan Broehm, accusing him of harassing the accuser.
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The investigation
The accuser and Broehm knew each other previously, according to deputies.
After 20 years apart without any communication, they met at a funeral. The two began an exclusive relationship around June 11, 2021, for about five weeks until the accuser ended the relationship because of toxic behavior.
"One of the most disturbing things that was said was that if you ever leave me, I will hunt you down and kill you," said Lt. Fred Jones of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
The accuser said she believed these threats were true because of his "uncontrollable anger," "abnormal controlling behavior" and "position as a law enforcement officer."
Because the accuser has physical disabilities, she uses a home monitoring system in case she falls. The system had a two-way speaker system and cameras throughout the apartment. She had allowed him to have emergency access to it in case something happened to her, deputies said.
He left various threatening phone messages and she believed he was monitoring her through her home system because he would question her about who she was talking to or the packages she would receive, she told deputies.
"When she did not return his text messages or phone calls or did not return them in a quick enough manner, he would result in setting off the alarm system," Jones said.
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The accuser told Broehm that he was losing access to the system, and after he had been removed, she received multiple messages from the company that there were fraudulent attempts to get in.
The detective obtained a search warrant for Broehm's Apple iCloud account and found pictures and videos of the accuser's home interior, according to the affidavit.
Broehm would also contact her through the Burner app and other applications that masked phone numbers, and pretended to be a person called "ShastaBerry" on a resale website to have a conversation with her about an item she was selling and other personal information, she told deputies.
The accuser continued to block numbers and said not to contact her anymore. Broehm attempted to avoid stalking charges by saying he was concerned about her health, according to deputies.
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"Through this investigation, by and through employment records, search warrants, and direct testimony, it is apparent that this behavior exhibited by the Suspect is not uncommon or out of character, and a behavior pattern exists covering many years with various women that he has dated," the affidavit states.
Broehm is charged with one count of aggravated stalking and four counts of cyberstalking, according to the affidavit.
Broehm was placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the case, according to Palm Beach Gardens Police Department. He has been with the department since March 17, 2003.
After his arrest, Broehm was transferred to the Lake County jail. He was released from the Lake County Jail on Saturday on a $60,000 bond.
The investigation is ongoing.
The accuser told WPBF 25 News if others are out there, they should come forward, and that she is confident investigators are taking the case as seriously as possible.
This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.