A Marion County man has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Ocala and an Ocala Police Department detective, alleging he was unlawfully arrested on a cyberstalking charge based solely on protected First Amendment social media posts.
The lawsuit was filed on September 4, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida by attorney and Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini on behalf of his client, Alberto Vazquez. The complaint names Ocala and OPD Detective Denise Drake as defendants.
According to court filings, the dispute stems from an April 2024 harassment complaint made by local real estate agent Larissa Ortiz, who previously worked with Vazquez on a property listing…