DBCH police lieutenant investigated after taking civil case into own hands

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A lieutenant took a civil case into his own hands, which violated Daytona Beach Police Department policy, officials said.

Dennis King, a local repair shop owner, said a friendly business agreement to restore a Daytona Beach police lieutenant's 1939 Ford landed him in jail.

King was arrested on two felony charges of grand theft and obtaining property by fraud.

Lt. James Brodick had a direct hand in the investigation, reviewing the report that led to King's arrest. Brodick accused King of bilking him for thousands of dollars for work on the car that was not getting done.

"Basically, I was told that if I couldn't produce the car, this was going to be the next step for him to have to do," King said.

Internal investigation documents: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8

King said the project was more complicated than anticipated, so it took longer.

“Underlying problems. Rust issues and stuff like that," he said.

In the end, the State Attorney's Office reviewed the case and found no criminal intent. King's charges were dropped.

Documents: Repair owner investigation

But King said he still suffered for it.

"It brings to light a lot of people asking questions, hesitations. You know, ‘Can I trust this gentleman with repairs? Is he a truthful honest repair guy?’" King said.

Police Chief Mike Chitwood said he was not aware of King's arrest until after it happened.

“We have policies that prohibit that kind of behavior, and as a result, he's going to be suspended for 10 days for violating that," said Chitwood.

Chitwood said he contacted the State Attorney's Office and submitted the investigation to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to determine if Brodick committed a crime.

FDLE found that no crime was committed, but Brodick is still under investigation within the department.

Channel 9 did not receive a comment from Brodick.

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