DeLAND, Fla. – A DeLand police officer fired for making a wrongful arrest in 2017 will be back on the force following an appeal to the city’s decision to fire him after an arbitrator found issues with the investigation into the incident leading to his dismissal.
Officer Johan “Joey” Mulero was fired in December 2018 after a DeLand Police Department internal investigation determined he used “excessive and unreasonable” actions while arresting a man.
The charges of resisting arrest were dropped and the man sued the city. The litigation was later settled outside of court. Mulero’s union, the International Union of Police Associations, filed an appeal of the city’s decision on his behalf.