PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — A Palm Beach Gardens police officer, who has worked for the department for 18 years, was arrested on an out-of-county warrant.
The Palm Beach Gardens Police Department said in a Friday news release that Officer Bryan Broehm was arrested Wednesday for a warrant from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Broehm was placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the case, according to the department.
A probable cause affidavit showed that Broehm faces one charge of aggravated stalking and four counts of cyberstalking.
Both Broehm and the victim were former employees of the Mount Dora Police Department in the late 1990s.
The affidavit said they did not communicate with each other for years until a celebration of life was held in May 2021 for a former mutual coworker.
They then began a relationship in June, but the victim ended it in July because of the "toxic behavior of the suspect," the affidavit stated.
The victim suffers from several medical physical disabilities, often causing her to walk with the aid of a walker and is subject to falls. Because of her medical condition, the victim had provided Broehm access to her "Canary" home monitoring system so that in the event of an emergency, he could summon help.
The system uses a two-way voice system, along with other monitors, and allows video viewing of the interior of the home.
Police said the victim expressed her need for privacy to the suspect and requested he only utilize the two-way voice system in the event of an emergency.
She said Broehm told her during a fit of rage that if she left him, he would "hunt her down."
The victim feared Broehm would have unrestricted access to the victim's personal information, and once found, he would kill her.
Police said this left the victim feeling "trapped" and unsure how to exit the "toxic relationship."
Investigators said these verbal threats were communicated to the victim through various phone calls. The victim believed the defendant was monitoring her actions through the internal home surveillance system.
The victim told a detective that Broehm would question her about people he saw in her home and packages she received.
A detective obtained a search warrant for the defendant's iCloud, which police said showed videos and a still shot of the victim's interior home.
Investigators said Broehm would often set off the alarm function of the "Canary" device when the victim was busy with work and unable to immediately respond to his texts or calls during their relationship.
The affidavit said that Broehm admitted in a text message that he unlawfully accessed the victim's cameras without her consent.
The officer is accused of continuing to cyberstalk the victim in September, conversing with the victim and harassing her via social media under a fake username.
Broehm has worked for the Palm Beach Garden Police Department since March 2003.
According to the CDC, one in six women and one in 17 men have experienced stalking in their lifetimes. The National Network to End Domestic Violence has information on how you can use Florida's laws to protect yourself. To view the information, click here.
