By
Frank Fernandez
A
Daytona Beach police officer has resigned following an incident in which his
body camera did not record an entire confrontation, which included another
officer sticking a flashlight into a woman’s mouth, a report states.
Officer
Justin Ranum resigned July 23 while under investigation for the incomplete body
camera video. And according to a report, Officer Matthew Booth was fired Jan.
8, partly because he stuck a metal flashlight in a woman’s mouth to keep it
open.
What
Booth described as “the flashlight technique” is not an approved tactic by the
Daytona Beach Police Department, according to a report finding that Booth
violated department directives. The report also found that Booth violated
directives when he stuck his fingers in Christine Chippewa’s mouth to try and
retrieve drugs he believed she had.
Police
Chief Mike Chitwood said Ranum’s body camera was sent to Taser to check why it
did not record the entire encounter and Ranum was given another body camera.
Then Chitwood said there was a second incident in which Ranum’s body camera was
not running.
The
officer resigned before the camera audit was completed. But the audit came back
that the camera did not film the entire arrest because it was turned off
manually, a policy violation, Chitwood said.
“If
you follow the policy, we have no problems whatsoever,” Chitwood said. “It’s
when officers deviate from the policy that we have a problem. And the policy is
there to protect the officer and protect the community. It’s really simple.
Nobody likes change, but change is here.”
It
was not the first time Ranum had been in trouble. In December 2010, Ranum and
another officer were fired after they were acquitted of criminal mischief
charges. The two were arrested Sept. 2, 2010, nearly a month after banging on a
woman’s trailer hoping to flush out a suspect. Records indicate the trailer
sustained $1,700 worth of damage. The judge in the case said prosecutors failed
to show the two officers damaged the trailer with intent and malice. Ranum was
rehired about a year later.
Booth
violated several policies during Chippewa’s arrest on about 3:30 a.m. on June
13, 2013, near the boat ramps on the eastern span of the Seabreeze Bridge.
Booth also violated directives by striking Chippewa in the head, either by
kicking her or with a knee strike. It was unclear which he did because at
different times Booth claimed to have done one or the other, leading to a
finding that he violated a directive having to do with making a false report.
Booth
told internal affairs investigators that he stuck his metal flashlight into
Chippewa’s mouth because Ranum said she was trying to swallow illegal
narcotics, the report states.
After
using the flashlight, Booth “forced his fingers against the outside of
Chippewa’s cheeks” as he tried to get the alleged narcotics, the report said.
That’s another practice not approved by the department unless it is used to
save someone’s life, which Booth admitted was not the circumstance, the report
states.
Booth
said he did not see any signs that Chippewa was having medical problems from
the alleged overdose and did not call paramedics.
Booth
said he kicked Chippewa in the head because she bit him hard through her
cheeks. Booth then stuck his fingers inside her mouth, the report states.
Chippewa,
37, was charged with tampering with physical evidence and obstructing an
officer without violence. No drugs were found on Chippewa and she did not
suffer any ill effects that would have indicated she swallowed drugs.
The
State Attorney’s Office declined to file charges.
Chippewa
has retained attorney Jonathan Rotstein, who has sent a notice of claim to the
city, the first step before any lawsuit would be filed.
Chippewa
has prior convictions from 2010 cases of possession of schedule IV substance
and possession of drug paraphernalia. She also has prior convictions from 2009
cases of introduction of contraband into a correctional facility and resisting
an officer without violence.