Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey released a statement on Thursday defending the arrest of a Flagler County detective last week. Godfrey’s remarks come three days after Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly said he was ‘surprised’ that Ormond Beach police arrested Detective Ardit Coma.
Coma was accused of driving 88 miles per hour on US-1 in Ormond Beach, in an area where the speed limit was 55 miles per hour. While pursued by an OBPD sergeant, he was then said to have weaved in and out of traffic, before circumventing stop sticks and finally pulling over. Coma was initially arrested for fleeing and eluding, before the charges against him were dropped earlier this week.
Sheriff Rick Staly’s Comments
In his own statement following the State Attorney’s Office’s decision to drop charges against Coma, Sheriff Staly cast doubt upon the justifications of Coma’s arrest. “I personally reviewed the arrest report and was surprised that an arrest was made based on the lack of evidence showing he was intentionally trying to flee, while driving an agency vehicle,” Staly said.
Still, Staly acknowledged the need to determine exactly what wrongdoing Coma may have committed. “Although the criminal charge was dismissed, the facts appear clear that Detective Coma was speeding in an agency vehicle,” he continued. “I believe in accountability for everyone in our agency and transparency with our community, and our internal investigation will determine what policies were violated, and he will be held accountable. In fact, he will likely be held accountable to a higher standard than an average driver committing a traffic violation.”
Chief Jesse Godfrey’s Response
Jesse Godfrey, the Chief of the Ormond Beach Police Department, stood by the decision-making of Sergeant Caleb Braun, who made the arrest. Braun was reportedly driving the opposite direction on US-1 at the time, before turning around upon seeing Coma.
“Our Sergeant acted in good faith and based his decisions on the totality of the circumstances observed at the time,” Chief Godfrey said Thursday. “Officers operate under the legal standard of probable cause, which is distinct from the prosecutorial standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. A prosecutor’s decision not to pursue charges is a judgment about what can be proven in court. It is not a finding that the officer acted improperly or lacked legal justification.”
After he was questioned by police, Coma reportedly said he was unaware that he was being pursued. Nonetheless, he was arrested on the scene. Coma had reportedly been on his way in to work in the morning when the incident occurred.
“The facts of the arrest report supported the Sergeant’s actions,” Godfrey continued. “The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed, our Sergeant activated his emergency lights and siren, other motorists yielded, and the vehicle continued driving recklessly for a significant distance before stopping. Based on these observations, our Sergeant followed established policy, used appropriate methods to gain compliance, and executed the stop safely and professionally.
“We stand firmly behind our Sergeant. His actions were consistent with OBPD training and expectations, and the information available to him at the time fully supported the decisions he made.”
The OBPD’s Full Statement
The Ormond Beach Police Department released the following statement to social media on Thursday, providing a response to the incident from Chief Godfrey.
Wonder what the sheriff considers a significant distance?