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Florida deputy demanded K-9, clean record before wired office caught extortion plot: HCSO

Katherine Langford
Editor-in-Chief · Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 11:37 AM · 1 min read
Florida deputy demanded K-9, clean record before wired office caught extortion plot: HCSO — Vero Beach Schools news

A K-9 deputy with the Hendry County Sheriff's Office was arrested on Tuesday after he allegedly threatened to leak an embarrassing recording unless officials wiped his record and let him keep his police dog. Hendry County extortion arrestSheriff Steve Whidden announced the arrest of 27-year-old K-9 Deputy Braxton Haight on Tuesday under Florida Statute 836.05 for extortion. Haight left a voicemail Tuesday asking the sheriff to call him back regarding an urgent matter that was "in everyone’s best interest to talk about," according to the sheriff. When Whidden returned the call, Haight reportedly stated he knew the agency was attempting to fire him and claimed he had documents he would release publicly if his demands went unmet. Investigators say the deputy asked Whidden to hand over his police K-9 dog and clear his personnel file of any disciplinary actions. In response, Whidden arranged an in-person meeting with Haight to discuss the terms. Secret recording inside annexAccording to the

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