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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A central Florida sheriff's deputy was suspended for nearly a month after a civil rights group asked for an investigation into his Facebook posts about Muslims.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office suspended Deputy Michael Johnson for 150 hours without pay after an internal investigation found he showed “unbecoming conduct" and “bias and disrespect” toward Muslims, according to a report obtained by the Orlando Sentinel in a public records request.
“WAKE Up America, ... the Democrats only care about a vote, but with this radicalized people take (sic) over the United States you will know why because we stood there and did nothing to stop this!!! Donald J Trump for president for another 4 years!!” Johnson wrote in the post.
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The investigation began when a civil rights attorney at the Council on American-Islamic Relations sent 10 screenshots of the deputy's Facebook activity to the agency.
Attorney Taj Murphy wrote in his complaint said they were not out to censor the deputy’s free speech, but found it “concerning" that Johnson “has made hateful, racist, and anti-Muslim statements under the color of authority of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.”
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Murphy said he would still like to see the agency accept his group's invitation to provide their Islam 101 training to deputies, as they’ve done for other law enforcement agencies in Florida, But he was happy to see that Johnson got more than just a reprimand.
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