Report details what led to perjury charges against former Winter Springs officers

WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. — A former Winter Springs police officer facing perjury charges told Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents that he did not that know the cameras inside Winter Springs City Hall actually worked.

It happened after he was confronted with evidence that a battery he reported didn’t actually happen.

Two officers are facing charges for allegedly fabricating the battery that, they say, the city’s finance director committed on one of them. Video from inside City Hall shows no such attack occurred.

According to a report, former Officer Andrew Graham told investigators the city’s finance director, “slapped him hard on the arm up to five times with an open right hand.” He went on to say, “I was shocked that somebody would hit me like that,” the report said.

Graham also told investigators, “There’s not a doubt in my mind if I was in uniform I would have taken him for battery on a law enforcement officer right there.”

As FDLE agents prepared to play the video, which shows no attack happened, Graham commented that he knew cameras were present in the chambers but did not know they were capable of recording, according to the FDLE report.

During a separate interview with then-Officer Jason Casteel, who wrote the criminal report for potential charges against the city finance director, Casteel maintained the story was true even after viewing the video.

Casteel told FDLE agents, “It didn’t take place on there but it definitely happened in the chambers.” He went on to say, “Not making any allegations, but possibly the video footage has been altered.” Casteel later admitted the battery never happened.

Both officers resigned before they could be fired, but the Winter Springs Police Department is still conducting an internal investigation, which may determine whether the two keep their law enforcement certification.

Cox Media Group