Four Suspended In Clay County Over False Arrests



GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — A northeast Florida sheriff has suspended two detectives and two supervisors for wrongfully arresting a Louisiana woman.
Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler announced the suspensions Wednesday. He said his office will also be instituting new policies, including an arrest check list that deputies must fill out.
Earlier this year, the sheriff's office extradited 28-year-old Ashley Nicole Chiasson from Chalmette, Louisiana, and jailed her twice on separate charges. They eventually realized their mistake and arrested 31-year-old Ashley Odessa Chiasson last month.
Both detectives face 30-day suspensions. One supervisor will be out five days and the other seven. The Florida Times-Union reports that all suspensions are without pay, and all four men will be reassigned to patrol.
Officials say the mistakes included incorrect identification of Ashley Nicole Chiasson, not showing a photo lineup and not reviewing case evidence.
Welcome to our online comments feature. To join the discussion, you must use your real name as your screen name. Instructions can be found on this link: SIGNING ON