North Florida Sheriff Suspends Detectives for Botched Arrests

The mistakes made by the detectives and their supervisors include misidentifying a suspect, not showing a photo lineup and not reviewing evidence in the case.

A northeast Florida sheriff has suspended without pay two detectives and two supervisors involved in the wrongful arrest of a teen.

The Florida Times-Union reports that Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler will also change department policy to include an arrest checklist, and he will mandate reviews of arrest warrants.

The mistakes made by the detectives and their supervisors include misidentifying a suspect, not showing a photo lineup and not reviewing evidence in the case.

The teen was jailed twice incorrectly — once in January for grand theft, and four months later for a different charge — for 30 days.

In both cases investigators were seeking another woman with a similar name.

The teen has told the sheriff's office she intends to sue.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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