DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Two Daytona Beach police officers were arrested Thursday for allegedly damaging a woman's home. Officers Donald Aldridge and Justin C. Ranum were charged with felony criminal mischief on warrants.
On August 9, the officers responded to a home on North Beach Street due to a fleeing and eluding investigation involving the resident's vehicle. Aldridge and Ranum spoke with the resident, Sandra Haley, and informed her that they were searching for her boyfriend. Haley consented to the officers' request to search the home, but the boyfriend was not found.
Haley said she went to spend the night at her son's home. When she returned to her house the next morning, Haley said she saw her that front door was damaged, there were holes in the walls and there were numerous dents in the back of her residence.
Haley's neighbor told her that the officers had returned to her home overnight; one of the officers had allegedly turned over a flower pot, dumped out the mulch, then stood on the pot and pried-open a small window.
"Cops were banging on the side of the door either with flashlights or the baton things and she wasn't home to begin with," neighbor Sandra Headley said.
The neighbor stated, "The officers were beating holes in the front wall." The neighbor said the other officer was kicking the front door, then went to the side of the trailer and started banging.
"So, where did these officers cross the line?" WFTV reporter Melonie Holt asked Sgt. Jimmie Flynt, Daytona Beach Police Department.
"When you do criminal mischief to someone's property. That's not part of the police department's policy to do the damage the officers did," he replied.
By the time John Pittman's sister returned home, an estimated $1,400 in damage was done.
"She's not happy, not very happy at all," Pittman said.
Ranum and Aldridge are being held with a bond of $1,000 each and were transported to the branch jail. Both have been placed on administrative duties with pay, pending the completion of the internal investigation.
WFTV asked, under the circumstances, if the department would compensate the owner of the property.
"I would think that we would take responsibility for the damage the officers did," Flynt said.
Officer Aldridge has been on the force for six years and Officer Ranum for three years.
WFTV
