More alleged victims come forward in misconduct case of former Casselberry police chief Lawyer: More victims have come forward



Published  8:56 PM EDT Oct 31, 2014

CASSELBERRY, Fla. —The number of people leveling misconduct allegations against Casselberry's former Police Chief Bill McNeil continues to grow. Casselberry Police Chief Bill McNeil resigns amid an internal investigation into accusations of misconduct. Casselberry Police Chief Bill McNeil resigns amid an internal investigation into accusations of misconduct.
The attorney for three former subordinates accusing McNeil of lewd behavior and verbal abuse said they have evidence to back it up. McNeil resigned when the allegations came to light earlier this week.
"We have a dozen or so photographs and a videotape," said Carlos Burruezo, the claimants' attorney. "They're traumatized. This has been going on for years. It's not a one or two-week thing or a six-week thing. This has been open, and notorious and known for some time."
A spokeswoman for the city of Casselberry, Sara Brady, said no complaints against McNeil were ever received through the normal complaint process. They don't know who the alleged victims are.
"We have no victims. We have no formal complaints. Nothing's been filed through the proper channels within the city," Brady said. "Any kind of issue with an employee is always taken seriously."
The alleged victims' attorney said the three women were too scared of reprisals to go the official route. He claims the city was informed by someone speaking on their behalf three weeks ago.
"I can tell you my clients are very fragile and it's taken a lot of courage to come forward," Burruezo said.
Burruezo said the number of possible complainants could grow from three to five based on information received Friday.
The decision to file suit he said will depend on how the city of Casselberry reacts to these allegations.