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Haitian TV Star Arrested in Tamarac on Domestic Violence Charge 5

Carel Pedre {BSO}

Haitian TV star Carel Pedre was arrested early Sunday in Tamarac for an alleged domestic violence battery on his romantic partner, according to a Broward Sheriff’s Office arrest report.

Deputies were dispatched shortly before 1 a.m. on December 21 to the apartment Pedre shares with the woman at 9097 NW 57th Street, after a neighbor reported hearing a female screaming and said the victim was being choked by a man – later identified as Pedre – and asking for help, the report states.

The caller told dispatchers the woman appeared unclothed as she sought help by knocking on the caller’s door, according to the document.

When deputies arrived, they spoke with the popular Haitian TV and radio host Pedre, 45, whose remarks were redacted from BSO’s arrest report.

Deputies also interviewed the victim, who was initially uncooperative, the document states. She expressed concern about Pedre’s reputation and about his children, whom deputies noted are not shared with her, the report states.

A second deputy stated that the victim said Pedre threw her to the ground, according to the document.

The victim later told deputies she had not been choked, and said Pedre had removed her access to the apartment through a phone application, the report states. She refused to provide a sworn taped statement and declined to answer questions from the State Attorney’s Office about her safety, deputies said.

Deputies also spoke with the anonymous caller, who said her mother had witnessed a man throw a woman to the ground and choke her. The caller said the woman had knocked on their door asking for help, the report states. The caller and the caller’s mother declined to meet with deputies and asked to remain anonymous, deputies said.

According to the arrest report, Pedre was arrested for domestic violence battery after deputies determined he had thrown his romantic partner to the ground.

Pedre was taken into custody, handcuffed, searched, and transported to the Broward Sheriff’s Office Tamarac District office before being booked into the BSO Main Jail on the domestic violence battery charge, according to the report.

Pedre was being held without bail at the jail Monday night due to an immigration hold, records show. The records do not include details about the immigration case.

A judge set a $1,000 bond in Pedre’s domestic battery case.

Pedre is among the most-watched media personalities in Haiti and commands a massive audience on social media.

He founded one of the island nation’s largest media companies, Chokarella, which issued a statement Sunday confirming his arrest.

“It is important to note that an arrest does not automatically result in charges, [nor] does it imply guilt,” the statement reads. “Any determination of responsibility rests solely within the appropriate legal process. We have full confidence in the justice system and are allowing it the time and space required to carry out its work. Once Carel is home and in a position to do so, he will speak on his own behalf and share his perspective on what occurred, in his own words, as he has consistently done in the past.”

Records show Carel has been involved in two previous domestic cases in Broward in which people brought complaints against him. The details of those cases were not immediately available.

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Author Profile

Kevin Deutsch

Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning journalist and author of two nonfiction books. He covers general assignment news and Jewish community issues for Talk Media. He has also worked as a staff writer at The Miami Times, the Rio Grande SUN, the New York Daily News, Newsday, The Miami Herald, The Palm Beach Post, The Riverdale Press, and Bronx Justice News.