Former Miami-Dade Firefighter Pleads Guilty to Felony Battery After Colleagues’ Accusations

A former Miami-Dade firefighter pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony charges stemming from allegations that he attacked fellow firefighters while on duty years ago.

Jose Lopez entered a plea to multiple counts of aggravated battery, a lesser charge connected to two separate cases. The crimes are classified as second-degree felonies.

Under the plea agreement, Lopez was sentenced to ten years of probation and must complete a treatment program for mentally disordered sexual offenders.

The agreement also bars him from working in schools or obtaining professional licenses that require wearing a uniform.

Lopez was arrested in 2023 and later fired from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue after multiple firefighters accused him of sexually assaulting them inside fire stations more than a decade earlier.

Two of the accusers addressed the court Tuesday.

One firefighter, Rhonda, spoke publicly about the alleged attack for the first time. She said Lopez assaulted her while she slept inside a fire station dormitory in northeast Miami-Dade.

During her statement she held up shackles.

“These shackles represent the bondage your violence placed on me,” she said. “But they were never mine to carry. Jose, these shackles belong to you.”

Another firefighter, Milena, described the fear she felt during the alleged attack.

“I feared for my life,” she told the court. “I was fighting someone physically bigger and stronger than me.”

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah attended the hearing to show support for the victims.

“It takes tremendous courage to face someone who never should have been placed in a position of trust,” Jadallah said.

Lopez’s attorney emphasized that prosecutors dismissed the sex crime allegations and noted that his client will not serve prison time.

Still, the firefighters said the outcome brought a sense of accountability and hope that other victims will come forward sooner.