JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The video above is from an earlier story.
An officer who stopped a Jacksonville military veteran now accusing him of excessive force has been the subject of criticism before.
Officer Justin Peppers was the lead officer in the November traffic stop of Braxton Smith, who recently filed a formal complaint with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
It is not the first time he’s received a citizen complaint. Peppers has been the subject of 10 internal affairs investigations in the past two years. One of them was the focus of a First Coast News investigation after a couple he stopped for illegal tint claimed he stalked and harassed them over a period of weeks.
The couple called 911 on Peppers twice, and even obtained a restraining order against him, before a judge rescinded it days later.
The August 2021 traffic stop also involved a tangential but troubling interaction with a passing motorist. When the woman, who was trying to get past the traffic stop, refused to back up and reroute, Peppers ended up pulling her from her car and handcuffing her. He detained her for an hour in his squad car before releasing her.
First Coast News reached out to Peppers for comment via JSO but has not heard back.