Ormond Beach Police Jesse Godfrey issued a statement on Thursday, Dec. 11, supporting the decision of one of his officers to arrest a Flagler County Sheriff’s Office detective and charge him with fleeing or eluding.
Godfrey issued his statement after Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly remarked that he was surprised that Detective Ardit Coma was arrested due to a lack of evidence that Coma was intentionally trying to flee.
Godfrey disagreed.
“Our sergeant activated his emergency lights and siren, other motorists yielded, and the vehicle continued driving recklessly for a significant distance before stopping,” Godfrey noted.
“We stand firmly behind our Sergeant,” Godfrey stated. “His actions were consistent with OBPD training and expectations, and the information available to him at the time fully supported the decisions he made.”
Coma was driving an unmarked Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Ford Taurus when he was arrested at gunpoint on Dec. 4 by Ormond Beach Police Sgt. Caleb Braun.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza opts not to file charges
Four days after the arrest, State Attorney R.J. Larizza’s office declined to file charges of felony fleeing or eluding police against Coma, who is a detective in the Flagler Sheriff’s Office Major Case Unit.
Larizza’s office did not respond to the News-Journal when it previously asked why it decided not to file charges.
Coma still has an open case on a traffic citation accusing him of speeding 88 mph in a 55 mph. He has a court appearance set for Feb. 12 before Volusia County Judge David Foxman.
Braun tried to stop Coma for going 88 mph in a 55 mph zone along U.S. 1, according to an arrest affidavit. Braun stated that Coma didn’t stop, even though other traffic was yielding for Braun.
Coma pulled over after a failed attempt by another Ormond Beach Police officer to use stop sticks to puncture the tires of Coma’s unmarked Sheriff’s Office cruiser.
Before learning that Coma was a detective, Braun ordered him out of the car at gunpoint and then handcuffed him. Coma told Braun he didn’t know he was trying to stop him. Coma said he stopped after seeing the other officer with the stop sticks.
Braun handcuffed Coma and led him to an Ormond Beach police car.
Body camera footage indicates one of the officers recognized the detective, saying, “Coma, wow.”
Flagler detective denies he was fleeing or eluding police
“What is going on” Coma said.
“You’re under arrest. That’s what’s going on,” Braun said.
“For what?” Coma asked.
“Fleeing and eluding?” Braun said.
“Fleeing and eluding? When did that happen?” Coma replied.
.Later, Braun read him his rights, and Coma agreed to talk to him, according to the footage.
Braun told Coma he turned on his emergency lights and siren after determining Coma was going 88 mph in a 55 mph zone on US 1.
“All the other traffic on the roadway is yielding to me for my lights and sirens and you continue to drive in the northbound lanes with my lights and siren active,” Braun tells Coma.
“I saw the stop sticks, and I immediately pulled over. I had no idea…” Coma said.
Braun asked why he didn’t stop for him when he initially turned on his emergency lights and siren.
“I did not notice you at all,” Coma said. “My windows are very tinted, and it’s very dewy in the morning. I swear to God.”
Coma adds, “I’ve been pulled over by you guys before. I’ve stopped. I have no reason to flee.”
“There’s no way that you didn’t hear my siren or see all my lights, there’s no way,” Braun said. “All the other public out there on the roadway saw and heard me and yielded to me and you drove around all of them.”
Braun tells Coma that when he turned his emergency lights and sirens off, Coma “accelerated even more.” At that point, Coma seems to indicate he does not want to talk anymore.
“That’s it?” Braun said.
“Yeah, I apologize,” Coma said.
“Well, you’re under arrest today for fleeing and eluding,” Braun said before closing the door.
Ormond sergeant who arrested detective: ‘It’s irritating”
Another officer recognized Coma soon after he was handcuffed and said they went to the academy together and that Coma was a good person.
Once Coma is locked in the back of a cruiser, Braun says Coma put him in that situation. Another Ormond Beach policeman asks Braun, “Sure you’re Ok?”
“Yeah, it’s irritating, yeah, I don’t arrest other cops, but….” Braun said.
The incident happened near the Volusia Sheriff’s Office District 3 office, so some deputies were also present. Volusia Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Brian Henderson called command staff at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to inform them of Coma’s arrest. Braun had also called but didn’t get through to the command staff.
Ormond Beach police chief supports officer’s arrest of Flagler detective
Godfrey, in his statement, did not dispute the decision by the State Attorney’s Office not to file fleeing and eluding charges. Law enforcement officers act under the standard of probable cause, while prosecutors rely on proof beyond a reasonable doubt, he noted.
“This decision reflects prosecutorial discretion and does not indicate wrongdoing by our officer or any deficiency in how the traffic stop was handled,” Godfrey stated.
Godfrey wrote that his sergeant acted in good faith and that the “facts” supported the arrest. Godfrey did not name Coma or the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
While Staly said he was surprised Coma was arrested, given what he called the “lack of evidence showing he (Coma) was intentionally trying to flee,” that Coma would be the subject of an investigation by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office regarding the speeding allegation.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Ormond police chief backs his officer in arrest of Flagler detective
Reporting by Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
