Two former Alligator Alcatraz guards plead not guilty to battery charges

In the first criminal case alleging mistreatment at the now-shuttered Everglades detention center, guards Andre Seenaraine and Stephen Trejos pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor battery charges related to an incident on Jan. 25 involving detainee Rigoberto Rodriguez Arce. Rodriguez’s counsel claims the detainee incurred serious injuries, while prosecutors say the guards assaulted him after a tense confrontation. Trejos was taken into custody on June 24, a day before Governor Ron DeSantis announced the facility’s closure, and Seenaraine was booked two days later in Ocala; both posted $1,000 bonds.

Their employer, Critical Response Strategies, a private contractor hired by the state, has not responded, and the Department of Homeland Security directed questions to the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Defense attorneys argue the evidence is incomplete and that the guards acted within their duties, promising to defend the case in court.