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‘I'm very disappointed': Casselberry police chief reacts to officer's actions on domestic violence

By Jeff Levkulich, WFTV.com and James Tutten
By Jeff Levkulich, WFTV.com and James Tutten

CASSELBERRY, Fla. — A Casselberry police officer was called to respond to two cases of domestic violence, and investigate, but the chief said he failed to do anything.

Those two calls happened on back-to-back days in February and now there are questions about why that officer is still on the job.

The investigation into Officer Ryan Mcintosh already wrapped up, just last week.

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The chief said he became aware of the issue early on and immediately launched an investigation into that officer's actions.

Mcintosh asked that his case be fast tracked, and he was not fired but suspended without pay for 12 hours. He also received a written reprimand for substandard performance and not turning on his body camera.

The chief said domestic violence calls should never be shrugged off.

Video from Mcintosh’s body-worn camera shows a mother and her three kids fleeing a home during a domestic situation that was happening inside.

But the video doesn't tell the whole story as to how the officer first responded when he arrived on scene and failed to activate his camera.

"In this particular case, we failed," said Casselberry police Chief Larry Krantz.

According to an internal affairs report obtained by Eyewitness News, Mcintosh was about to leave the home as backup arrived.

At one point, Officer Chris Sartwell walked toward the home telling Mcintosh, "we just can't leave, obviously there is an issue."

Krantz said he was aware of the call and was concerned by what he learned and immediately launched an investigation.

"Unfortunately, his action was to walk away instead of waiting for the arrival of the units and do things to intercede, to mitigate, to investigate further,” Krantz said. “Unfortunately, that's not what he did."

The IA report also involved a separate domestic incident from the day before on Mandrake Cove, in which Mcintosh never responded, even though he was the closest unit. GPS tracked him driving right by the apartment complex, according to the report.

“I'm very disappointed, and the officer is very disappointed in his actions, too,” Krantz said. “We have reiterated to our employees exactly what the expectations are."

Krantz said Mcintosh, who has been with the Casselberry Police Department for the last seven years, admitted he messed up. This is also the first time he's ever been in trouble and he’s had a clean record, so they are giving him another chance to redeem himself.

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