A former Miami Beach Police sergeant has been arrested on domestic battery charges, officials said.
Jeffrey Motola, 49, was arrested Thursday on charges of domestic battery by strangulation, battery, and assault, an arrest report said.
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WATCH HEREThe report said the incident happened in October 2021 and involved Motola's girlfriend at the time.
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The two had been involved in a verbal argument before Motola left to go drinking, but when he returned, the argument became physical, the report said.
The girlfriend said she broke a candle against a wall before Motola "became aggressive and grabbed the victim by the neck and dragged her across the apartment," the report said.
Motola then put her on a couch and "continued to choke her by the neck impeding the victim's breathing," the report said.
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The woman said they broke up but since then, she's seen him at bars where he's verbally threatened her, telling her "I'll shoot you between the eyes," "I should slit your throat like a pig," and "You're lucky I haven't killed your a--," the report said.
Motola was booked into jail and later appeared in court, where he was given a $7,500 bond.
Records showed Motola was honored by Miami Beach Police in 2020 after assisting in arresting an armed man who fired a gun in public.
