The 7th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office filed an order of no information on Monday in the case against Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Detective Ardit Coma, indicating prosecutors will not pursue the charge of fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer.
With the criminal case now concluded, Sheriff Rick Staly has directed the FCSO Professional Standards Unit to begin an internal investigation to determine whether Detective Coma violated any of the agency’s general orders, policies, procedures, rules, or regulations.
Sheriff Staly addressed the dismissal and the next steps in a statement. “As we said initially, we believe in the criminal justice system. The case was dismissed just like it would be for any citizen based on the evidence and facts of the case presented to the State Attorney’s Office by the Ormond Beach Police Department,” Staly said.
The Sheriff noted his own review of the circumstances surrounding the arrest. “I personally reviewed the arrest report and was surprised that an arrest was made based on the lack of evidence showing he was intentionally trying to flee, while driving an agency vehicle,” Staly said. “Although the criminal charge was dismissed, the facts appear clear that Detective Coma was speeding in an agency vehicle.”
Staly emphasized that the detective will still face accountability through the internal process. “I believe in accountability for everyone in our agency and transparency with our community, and our internal investigation will determine what policies were violated, and he will be held accountable,” Staly said. “In fact, he will likely be held accountable to a higher standard than an average driver committing a traffic infraction.”
Detective Coma has been reassigned to administrative non-law enforcement duties while the internal investigation is completed. He was initially suspended without pay following his arrest in Ormond Beach earlier this month while driving his unmarked assigned agency vehicle on his way to work.
The post Criminal Charges Dismissed Against Flagler County Detective, Internal Investigation Now Underway first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
