WINDERMERE, Fla. — A former Windermere police officer is suing the department, claiming that he was wrongly arrested and charged.
Jason Darnell, 29, was arrested in 2013 on allegations stemming from the previous year that he profiled black motorists and told other officers to do the same.
In 2012, Darnell fought allegations that he racially profiled drivers and pulled them over while working in Windermere.
Other officers said Darnell pulled over minority drivers without checking their speeds.
Darnell was charged in April 2013 with misconduct and making threats against a public servant after a fellow officer told FDLE that Darnell had instructed him to pull over cars driven by black motorists.
PDF: Windermere Police Chief letter to FDLE
Darnell's attorneys, Jose Baez and Benjamin Crump, on Thursday filed a lawsuit on his behalf against Windermere's former police chief, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and others, accusing them of making false allegations.
Baez and Crump achieved national fame during the Casey Anthony and Trayvon Martin cases.
Attorneys said that in addition to Windermere Police Chief David Ogden, the defendants in the lawsuit include the individuals who they said conspired against Darnell, including former Windermere officer Alejandro Rivera and former FDLE investigator Alphonso Williams, among others.
The lawsuit suggests that Darnell exposed corruption within the Windermere Police Department, including falsifying time cards to receive overtime pay, and in return Rivera retaliated against him.
Darnell said he can't find a job as a police officer and instead has to work in sales. His attorneys argue that their client can't get his reputation back.
"(I have) to put 'yes' when someone does a background check. It still comes up (that) I was arrested for five felonies," Darnell said.
Darnell was arrested and faced 55 years in prison had he been convicted of the charges.
The charges were dropped a month later after inconsistent statements in witness accounts.
"How does he make up for the disgrace, the humiliation?" Crump said.
Baez and Crump said the lawsuit wouldn't have been necessary if the FDLE had done its job and investigated properly.
"I said to myself I know I didn't do anything wrong. At that time I started to get very sad, emotional, sitting behind the jail cell once where I took other criminals," Darnell said.
"The allegations made to officer Darnell were false and could have been proven easily with a competent investigation," Crump said.
The FDLE told Channel 9 that it stands behind the investigation. The town of Windermere and its police department said they can't comment on the lawsuit.
Previous story: Charges against Windermere police Officer Jason Darnell dropped
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