VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A retired police officer on Monday added his voice to the growing number of calls for an internal investigation into how troopers gathered evidence that a 23-year-old caused a crash on I-4, after prosecutors cleared her of any involvement.
Charges against Lindsey Isaacs were dropped on Friday, weeks after investigators named her as the driver of a Dodge Durango that drove away from the October crash.
Documents show troopers arrested Isaacs after one witness told them the Durango was black. A Flock camera hit on Isaacs’ license plate a few miles away from the crash site. Troopers also said her car had “smudges” on it consistent with it sideswiping a motorcycle.
Pictures shared by Isaacs’ attorney showed her car had no damage. A different set of investigators determined the Durango that caused the crash was maroon, thanks to paint transfer, and spoke to witnesses who were never questioned, who identified the driver and provided a partial plate number for the car that fled.
Alisa Lee Montalvo, of Deltona, was subsequently arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and leaving the scene.
“This investigation was confirmation bias from the start,” retired officer Bill Moore said, after reviewing the arrest reports. “I can tell you, as a detective, I’ve run across other detectives who want to believe their theory wholeheartedly and they do not trust the technological evidence that contradicts their theory, and that’s a problem.”
Moore said he would’ve started with the paint transfer and interviewed more witnesses at the scene. He also said he would’ve looked for Durangos of all colors since dark colors can be confused for black at night.
He also questioned whether Isaacs had read her her rights after she was woken up, noting that he found her series of alleged “spontaneous” utterances in her arrest report suspicious. Isaacs’ attorneys said she was never told she had the right to remain silent or seek an attorney.
Moore credited prosecutors, FHP’s Specialized Investigations and Reconstruction Team (SIRT) and Isaacs’ attorneys for discovering the holes in the case against her and pushing for the truth.
“They need to find out exactly what happened, and that has to be done through a proper internal investigation,” Moore said. “When it’s learned that a wrongful arrest has been made, corrections need to be made soon thereafter.”
FHP has not directly responded to any questions emailed throughout the weekend, except for providing a basic statement announcing Montalvo’s arrest and charges. The Orlando-based team of spokespeople has started referring questions to agency leadership in Tallahassee.
Isaacs’ attorneys said they would explore all legal options, including a lawsuit, as she worked to rebuild her reputation and her life.
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