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News & Current Events Apr 8, 2026 at 5:52 PM

‘He smacked me’: Man speaks out after Osceola police chief accused of slapping paraplegic man

Posted by The108ers


‘He smacked me’: Man speaks out after Osceola police chief accused of slapping paraplegic man
https://www.actionnews5.com
‘He smacked me’: Man speaks out after Osceola police chief accused of slapping paraplegic man
Osceola Police Chief Robert Ephlin is accused of slapping a paraplegic man during a police response to a fight between teens.

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PowderPills 2 days ago +365
Ofc that’s the police chief. Looks exactly how I imagined. No uniform, power tripping, and I bet a few years from now we’ll find out he has CP on his hard drives.
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Consistent-Throat130 2 days ago +65
I wish I could swap the bodies physical abilities, man.  That police chief deserves to feel what it's like to be abused while in a vulnerable position. 
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littlelupie 2 days ago +78
Hey as someone who uses a wheelchair, can we not use it as a punishment?  Like I get it but the trope of "the bad guy becomes disabled" is not exactly the greatest feeling for those of us who are disabled lol
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Consistent-Throat130 2 days ago +60
You know what, you're right. That was insensitive and I apologize. I'll go edit that comment
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hedgetank 2 days ago +14
if it were me, I would want the ability to suck the life energy out of the shitbags and use it to heal and restore good people. Not as the trope of "make them disabled", but rather, dump all the suffering, disease, pain, etc. good people are forced to suffer onto those who really deserve it and give the good people a chance at a better life.
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littlelupie 2 days ago +18
And THAT is totally and completely fine. I want dickheads like the sheriff to suffer and innocent victims to not. If I could press a button and transfer suffering, whatever that means to the person I'm about to inflict, I'd press it and never look back. It's the making them disabled explicitly part that kinda gets to me and other disabled people, y'know? Because a lot of us don't feel like we're suffering just because we go zoom zoom instead of step step 🤣
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hobbesgirls 2 days ago +3
I don't think the zoom zoom part is what most people really consider the suffering
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musingofrandomness 1 day ago +1
The reason Ghost Rider's "penance stare" would be a highly sought after and feared power if it were a real thing.
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1917he 2 days ago -13
You clearly don't "get it".
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littlelupie 2 days ago +6
Clearly not.
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TurnkeyLurker 2 days ago +1
*[Captain Christopher Pike](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Christopher_Pike) rolls into the chat, lights blinking* 🚥
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czs5056 1 day ago +2
I saw it on the local news this morning. He literally just started as chief within the last 2 weeks and has already resigned.
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tetoffens 2 days ago +107
He also choked the guy. Slapping someone is fucked up but they should lead with the choking as that can kill someone.
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Fit-Let8175 2 days ago +87
Having a power-hungry attitude should be one of THE top red flags to NOT give someone a position of authority. This is where ATTITUDE and NOT ability nor talent nor tenure has the major priority.
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hedgetank 2 days ago +16
what's that old quote? Politicians should be installed into office at sword point. In other words, give the job to the people that are qualified but least want the job. Same should go for cops.
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Masterweedo 2 days ago +45
Wow, that article makes it seem like the actions are disputed, and then has a clear video of what happened.
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hedgetank 2 days ago +20
when cops are involved, they always frame it as if there's a dispute.
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BlueEyes294 2 days ago +36
There is video of it. Accused because he did it.
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klauskervin 2 days ago +96
Eventually the police in the U.S. are going to start arresting those with disabilities for not standing to attention when called like the Gestapo was famous for.
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PipsqueakPilot 2 days ago +64
Oh uh- there's actually numerous videos on Youtube of paralyzed people being arrested for not standing up.
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Drostan_S 2 days ago +20
" Get out of the car" I'm a parapalegic "I don't care what you are, get out of the car" Officer I can't move my legs "You listen to me when I tell you to do something boy, now GET out of that car. "I literally cannot move my legs. "Okay, I gotta go hands on then" \*rips parapalegic out of his car and beats the shit out of him\* "We investigated the actions of the officer involved and found the use of force was justified in order to gain the compliance of an unruly ~~ni~~\-suspect."
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ishitfrommymouth 2 days ago +9
Basically this - https://youtu.be/hkOLG3Ndzfo?si=UHjDqKevq2gjSO1W
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Drostan_S 2 days ago +4
That's the one I was citing,  thank you. 
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fiendishrabbit 2 days ago +2
That video is 4 years old, were there any consequences for that cop?
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Needs_More_Cacodemon 1 day ago +4
As usual, no consequences or even an admission of wrongdoing: [Dayton Police Department finds officers did not violate use of force policy in Clifford Owensby arrest ](https://www.wyso.org/local-and-statewide-news/2022-01-13/dayton-police-department-finds-officers-did-not-violate-use-of-force-policy-in-clifford-owensby-arrest) Clifford got a $125K settlement: [Paraplegic man receives $125,000 settlement from City of Dayton following ADA violations](https://dayton247now.c(om/news/local/paraplegic-man-receives-125000-settlement-from-city-of-dayton-following-ada-violations)
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fiendishrabbit 1 day ago +3
That's some racist and oppressive bullshit.
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PipsqueakPilot 1 day ago +2
The worst part is that I thought Drostan was referencing a different video of essentially the same thing happened. I hadn't even seen this one!
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Trigunesq 2 days ago +25
Cops are so use to having their boots licked they cannot comprehend that someone may be physically incapable of following commands.
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PoliteFocaccia 2 days ago +31
You misunderstand the attitude of an abuser. They understand just fine. They *want* to hurt people, and they especially love having an unjust excuse to do it.
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Drostan_S 2 days ago +4
"physically incapable of following commands" is "obstruction of a law enforcement officer's sworn hero duties to protect the capital class and brutalize minorities"
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ChesterRico 2 days ago +8
Yup. These fuckers hate disabled ppl almost as much as they hate women.
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ebob421 2 days ago +3
The police have been acting like Gustapos in small towns since the founding of the police system
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savvy-misanthrope 2 days ago +16
Now the city, and ultimately taxpayers, will have to pay millions.
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blue_sidd 2 days ago -1
No they won’t.
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ProfessorStein 2 days ago +2
They absolutely will. There is absolutely no f****** chance the city will allow this to go to trial. They will settle for a million dollars as soon as a lawyer contacts them.
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blue_sidd 2 days ago +1
That would require a very racist legal system in a very racist state to give a flying f***.
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skyfishcafe 2 days ago +26
Pig resigned: https://wreg.com/news/mid-south/osceola-chief-resigns-after-video-of-alleged-assault/ They should still investigate and prosecute but I'm not holding my breath. 
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SavathunTechQuestion 2 days ago +17
I didn't see anything in his resignation that would prevent him from going a few towns over and getting a new job as a cop, as is what usually happens. The bad apples just move somewhere else since there's nothing blocking them from the whole line of work.
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VapidRapidRabbit 2 days ago +10
One week into the job and already slapping a handicap, wheelchair-bound black man for “talking to him like that.” He couldn’t even last a full week as chief (he resigned and an interim has been appointed). The funny thing is he just did an interview last Friday about his police force having “accountability.”
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Oprah_Pwnfrey 2 days ago +23
Right after he slapped the guy, police surround the person in the wheelchair. Like, seriously? He's in a f****** wheelchair.
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madworld2713 2 days ago +21
Yeah they’re really tough and intimidating when it’s a guy unarmed in a wheelchair being choked by another police officer. But when there’s an actual shooter shooting little kids they’ll wait till they feel safe to go in.
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Drostan_S 2 days ago +10
Because when one of your gang members starts fighting, everyone has to. Remember, it is fundamentally illegal in the united states to harm a police officer for any reason whatsoever. It is SPECIFICALLY illegal to harm Police Officers and carries a higher charge than a civillian, and those laws make NO exception for illegal police behavior. Your only legal recourse to a rogue cop is to completely comply and hope that's enough so survive until the court case, because we've seen already they can simply give you conflicting orders until you fail once before executing you sumarily.
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Monteze 2 days ago +4
Man, that area just can not make the news without it being embarrassing.
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AmericanAsian1125 2 days ago +5
Police Chiefs words: He was using the wheelchair funny
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BearWrangler 2 days ago +5
I saw "Osceola" and immediately assumed it was Florida...
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IamCrazyLegs77 2 days ago +2
Checking off that bucket list
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jbrantiii 1 day ago +2
Inexcusable. Grounds for immediate termination. I'm disabled and I have had conflicts with authority as both a healthy person and one of limited mobility. The feeling of helplessness when dealing with law enforcement is similar to both the abled and disabled. They, law enforcement, have all the power and many use it to intimidate and control. They can make a healthy person, fully able to defend themselves, feel powerless to defend themselves for fear of repercussions. The only good part of this is the man didn't strike back. Now he has the moral high ground and the message can't be tainted, as it would have been should he had chosen differently.
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The108ers 1 day ago +1
He resigned as soon as it went viral.
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AntiYourOpinion 2 days ago
Damn what the paraplegic do to deserve that?
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FifiTheFancy 2 days ago -2
Website autoplays the video at max volume. Unbelievably obnoxious.
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Doodledinglebopper 2 days ago -27
🙄 can’t even see if the slap was justified or not. Who’s to say that the guy didn’t grab at the officer or swing at him? Paraplegic or not you don’t get a pass. Doubt he got slapped for just talking back.
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VapidRapidRabbit 2 days ago +4
There is video widely available online of the incident. He literally told the guy in the wheelchair *“you’re not gonna talk to me like that!!!”* and then slapped him in the face. And then choked him after that. There is no justification for that. The average classroom teacher gets spoken to worse by children, and this guy is so offended by words that he has to slap and choke people?
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Doodledinglebopper 2 days ago -7
Is there another video besides this one?
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RustyCatalyst 2 days ago +10
lol you’re a p**** if you have to hit someone paralyzed and wheelchair bound
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Doodledinglebopper 2 days ago -14
Oh no! Random internet stranger has a negative opinion. I shall cry myself to sleep tonight.
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lavender_enjoyer 2 days ago +7
Confirming the p**** allegations
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DeepRoot 1 day ago +3
Dude... shut-up.
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jizzlevania 2 days ago -5
I take it you're a woman because no dude I know reacts to another man putting hands on him with a slap across the face. Also, it's bonkers you think someone would touch a cop and none of the 10 cops say anything or take any action.  You bigots are always so proud of being too ignorant bragging about how you can't believe in reality.
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Doodledinglebopper 2 days ago -5
Just because you assume idiots don’t come in all shapes and forms, does not make me a bigot. It’s bonkers how you can see a video that literally does not show the entire interaction and run off assuming that you know exactly what happened.
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McHoagie86 2 days ago +4
It makes you wilfully obtuse at best. Grow up.
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Doodledinglebopper 2 days ago -1
Oh, I didn’t realize it was obtuse to not make assumptions. My bad. Yeah, from now on I’ll believe every narrative no matter if it could possibly have some other explanation behind it. Gosh how stupid was I.
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C-c-c-comboBreaker17 1 day ago +2
What could possibly justify a public official slapping a paraplegic in the face? Give an example.
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Doodledinglebopper 1 day ago +1
Punch thrown, spit, a bunch of stuff. Just because someone is disabled doesn’t mean they are harmless. Case in point look up Sean Petrozzino and more recently James Webber. My entire point to this is not defending the cop, it’s the jumping to conclusions, this very easily is a case of an overly aggressive cop who needs to be fired, that gets no complaints from me, however to sit here and act like that video is absolute evidence that nothing beyond that slap occurred, is disingenuous at best.
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