Former Hialeah officers under house arrest charged with kidnapping and caning of homeless man

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Florida. – Two former Hialeah police officers are under house arrest.

They are accused of kidnapping and beating a homeless man.

The case is far from closed, but the former officers have been released from prison and are now under house arrest.

Police body camera footage is at the heart of the kidnapping case.

According to prosecutors, Jose Ortega Gutierrez was beaten by Rafael Otano and Lorenzo Orfila.

The two answered a disturbance call at a Hialeah Bakery and took Gutierrez into custody.

But GPS data shows the squad car drove to a remote area where the beatings allegedly took place while Gutierrez was handcuffed before being left behind.

“If I’ve had drugs, if I’ve had this or that, tell me. But I have nothing. why would you hit me And they just left me there like a dog,” Gutierrez said in court. “

During the hearing, defense attorneys pointed to a lack of credibility, criminal records and conflicting testimonies.

The homeless victim is known to the police.

These former officers are not the only ones charged in this case.

A man named Ali Saleh is accused of bribing the victim to change his story and a fourth man is accused of notarizing the paperwork

The four men received bail pending trial.

Local 10 News spoke briefly to Orfila’s mother, who stood up for her son and said he would not be so cruel.

Local 10 News cameras caught Orfila breaking into his home Monday as he began house arrest.

Prosecutors and defense are now preparing the pending trial.