Lee County deputy arrested for domestic violence

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of a deputy who allegedly assaulted a friend after a drunken night.

According to the arrest report, detective Erin Ortino kicked, spit on and threatened the victim with a knife, though deputies never found the knife.

Deputies responded to a domestic disturbance at Ortino’s home on Sunday night, just before 10, and witnessed enough to charge and arrest her.

Before deputies arrived, the victim told deputies she tried to hide Ortino’s service weapon to keep her from harming herself. She also said she had feared Ortino would hurt their dog.

Earlier that day, the report says, Ortino had dinner with her father and the victim at a Naples restaurant.

She allegedly drank enough alcohol to the point of intoxication, and her father had to tackle her to keep her from driving home. By that point, the victim had left the meal.

Ortino then called the victim, who picked her up and drove her home before the altercation escalated to physical violence.

In a statement released Friday morning, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said, “I’m disappointed to announce that my team has arrested Detective Erin Ortino.”

Marceno stated that Ortino had been assigned as a School Threat Enforcement Team investigator within the Criminal Investigation Bureau.

“She has been employed with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office since 2019 and was previously assigned to the Patrol Bureau,” he noted in the statement.

Marceno promises cooperation during the investigation.

“As I’ve stated before, abuse of any kind is not tolerated,” he said. “My team will work with the State Attorney’s Office to review all angles of this investigation.”

Ortino has since been placed on unpaid leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

She faces charges of domestic violence, battery and simple assault.