MELBOURNE, Fla. — Eyewitness News obtained new videotapes that prosecutors say show a Melbourne police officer writing drivers unnecessary tickets. Officer Frank Carter was suspended from the police force without pay because of it.
The video raises questions over whether the drivers deserved the tickets and it's the basis for the Melbourne police officer's arrest. Jurors will eventually have to look at the video and decide if Officer Carter was doing his job or breaking the law.
On April 26 of last year, the dashboard camera on Officer Frank Carter's cruiser shows him follow a car down the road and notice the driver stop at the stop sign, but just over the white line on the road. Officer Carter wrote the driver a ticket for that, but then also wrote her a ticket for not having her headlights on at the time.
But, on the video, the sun can be seen shining through the tops of the trees as the officer makes a u-turn just before the traffic stop.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Officer Carter in January or falsifying records and official misconduct based on that and other traffic stops.
Almost a week after that stop, the dash cam shows Officer Carter turn his headlights off as a glimmer can be seen coming from the driver's license plate light in front of him. Yet in that case, the officer wrote the driver a ticket for having a broken tag light.
Then there is another traffic stop; Officer Frank Carter follows a car and eventually stops the driver and gives her a ticket for turning into traffic without signaling. When you look closely at the video, from Officer Carter's perspective, you can never even see her right turn signal.
Neither the Florida Department of Law Enforcement nor Melbourne Police Department will comment on the videos since there is a criminal case before the court.
Carter's own attorneys said they couldn't comment either, because, while they have requested the videos, they have not yet seen them.
The FDLE found five cases of what it considers bogus traffic citations. Carter faces felonies and five years in prison for each.
There were other officers at the traffic stops who were not accused of any wrongdoing. Eyewitness News talked with the lawyer for the police union who said they question the whole investigation.
WFTV
