SANFORD, Fla. — A Sanford police officer was cleared of allegations that he lied about investigations in court, even though his behavior was caught on camera. The allegations threatened to undermine dozens of cases Sergeant Anthony Raimondo was involved in, but prosecutors explained why, even with video, they couldn't build a case.
Raimondo is back on the job after he was cleared of perjury and misconduct charges. In August, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement began an investigation after a judge accused him of misconduct and making an illegal traffic stop. The stop involved a car going the wrong way down a one-way street. The officer based the stop on one-way street signs, but photographs showed none were there.
"Someone asked him a question along the line [of] where there were signs? He said there were signs in the past. No one ever asked him when," said Chris White of the State Attorney's Office.
The state attorney says the judge could have misunderstood Raimondo's statement, saying that signs could have been there at one point, just not that day; so, technically, he would have been correct.
"Based upon the interesting reading on Sgt. Raimond's testimony and what he has said, FDLE and the State Attorney's Office has found a loop hole not to charge him," defense attorney Rhiannon Arnold said.
Arnold also questions the state's logic in another case involving Raimondo and one of her clients. The client was stopped for playing music too loud, but there is videotape showing the radio wasn't on. That would have raised doubt to a jury, but Arnold wonders if the real issue is having to re-open every case Raimondo was ever involved in.
Arnold's client was arrested for drug charges during the stop. A hearing is set for November 17.
WFTV
