A Broward Sheriff’s Office sergeant argued with his longtime girlfriend about alleged cheating the night he’s accused of strangling her and dragging her across his lawn, according to the arrest affidavit.
Scott Nida, a 20-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, faces charges of false imprisonment, domestic battery by strangulation, and touch or strike battery, Broward court records show.
Nida’s girlfriend of about 12 years told Special Victims Unit detectives that on the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 7, a violent incident at Nida’s Pompano Beach home left her bloody and bruised, according to the probable cause affidavit obtained by the Coral Springs News.
Two days before the incident, she said she went to Nida’s home and noticed the vehicle of another woman she knew. She saw that woman run through the backyard, get in her vehicle, and drive away. The couple later argued about Nida’s alleged cheating, according to the affidavit.
On the day of the incident, the girlfriend went to Nida’s home to get money. He met her outside, and they again argued about infidelity, detectives said.
She told investigators she didn’t want to argue and asked him to forget it. She said Nida then grabbed her left arm to stop her from leaving, prompting her to pick up a rock in self-defense.
She began yelling, and Nida allegedly grabbed the side of her face and neck, strangling her until she felt like she was about to pass out.
The woman claims Nida pushed her to the ground and dragged her across the front lawn as she dug in her heels, leaving visible marks in the grass that detectives later observed, deputies said.
She escaped and ran toward her vehicle, but Nida allegedly pushed her into the passenger seat while he got in the driver’s seat and started driving as she screamed for him to let her out, according to the affidavit.
She told detectives Nida said he wanted to talk and apologized, but refused to let her leave until she cleaned the blood from her face. He drove her back to his home, where she went to the bathroom, photographed her injuries, and sent the images to an individual redacted from the affidavit.
She recounted that Nida took her blood-stained shirt, gave her a different shirt, cleaned her face, and instructed her to put on makeup to hide the injuries, deputies said.
After applying powder, she drove home to her daughter. Deputies responded to a domestic disturbance call and questioned the couple, according to documents.
During an interview with detectives, Nida requested his attorney, whose name wasn’t available in Broward court records as of Jan. 12.
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