shows the navigational aid to Sgt. Harrison and states “for a walking stick”. Sgt, Harrison states
sit that could look like a weapon. James then states that she keeps requesting my identification
and that he does not have to provide it unless he is committing a crime or about to commit a
crime. Sgt. Harrison states that her suspicion was that James was armed and now she is
requesting identification. James states to Sgt. Harrison that she has verified that he is not armed
and therefore should be free to leave. Sgt. Harrison and Deputy Gohde approach James and
detain him with handcuffs.
Sgt. Harrison and Deputy Gohde then search James and his pockets for identifi
ion, While
being searched James mentions that he does not consent to a search of his pockets. James
requests names and badge numbers. Deputy Gohde runs James driver's license and comes back
clear with no warrants. Deputy Gohde states “alright Mr. Hodges was that that hard”? James
replies “it's going to be I want your names and badge numbers. Sgt. Harrison at that time states
“you know what put him in jail for resisting”. Deputy Gohde then places James in her patrol car
and transports him to the jail.
The review of the body and dash cam footage, incident report, and arrest affidavit revealed the
following. Sgt. Harrison and Deputy Gohde were both shown that James did not have a weapon.
At that point James should have been free to leave. Instead they detained James, searched his
pockets for his identification, and ultimately arrested him with insufficient probable cause.
Additionally, Deputy Gohde made an unprofessional comment that she was a “Tyrant” and told
James that he did not have to be a
lick” to her. Ultimately, the arrest was made after Sgt.
Harrison gave an unlawful order to make an arrest after probable cause did not exist. As a
Watch Commander Sgt. Harrison is expected to be up to date on alll case laws and Florida
Statutes as they apply to his job description. There were several Columbia County Sheriff's
Office violations that occurred during this incident
‘Administration: (386) 75
1212 % District Two Office (386) 497-3797 % Detention Facility (386) 755-7000
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