MIAMI – A Miami police officer who’s no stranger to legal trouble is again facing criminal charges ― this time, prosecutors say, for giving his ex-girlfriend a traffic ticket.
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The problem, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, is that the ex of Zamir Vargas Valerio wasn’t even in South Florida ― or the country, for that matter ― when she supposedly broke a traffic law.
She was instead deployed overseas, they said. Prosecutors announced criminal charges for Vargas Valerio, 37, on Thursday.
Vargas Valerio is accused of issuing the traffic citation by improperly using the computer credentials of a fellow officer.
“This matter was discovered when the victim’s mother reached out to her active-duty daughter regarding correspondence from traffic court,” an SAO news release states. “The victim believed it must have been a mistake since she was out of the country when the violation occurred.”
Miami Police Department investigators determined that the officer who supposedly issued the ticket was on disability leave at the time and they found reason to believe that Vargas Valerio was instead the one who gave her the ticket.
“Officer Valerio allegedly used criminal justice resources of a major police department in what may be seen as an attempt to reconnect with a former girlfriend,” State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in part in a news release. “This is not only beyond normal comprehension, but it is also a violation of the law.”
MPD Chief Manny Morales said in the release that his agency is “committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and accountability within our ranks.”
“The actions of one individual do not reflect the values and dedication of the vast majority of the men and women who serve this city honorably every day,” he said in part.
Vargas Valerio is facing official misconduct and computer crimes charges.
And it’s not the first time he’s faced legal peril.
A five-year veteran of MPD at the time, Vargas Valerio was arrested by Davie police on Aug. 23, 2022.
He was accused of domestic violence after Davie police said he choked his then-romantic partner in front of her son.
Broward court records show the case was later dropped.
In his latest case, records show Valero Vargas was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center just after 11 a.m. Thursday.