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My brother (who just turned 18 in January and is still attending high school, 3.8 GPA) was arrested for Misdemeanor Possession of Marijuana (a seed was found on the back-seat floorboard of a small truck that he borrowed to drive to work: The case was was dismissed last week.) He was later arrested the next month for Reckless Driving (At midnight he drove through a parking lot with 20′ between vehicles and fence (Case was reduced to fines and court costs).

Now here is the current situation…May 23, 2012 @ 2:00 pm, my brother was driving home from school (had phone interview for Good job @ 2:15p and Dr. Appt. @ 2:40pm) when he was pulled over for his brake light being inoperable. When Detective Edison got to his vehicle my brother stated that he ” had to go.” (As written in the police report.)

Det. Edison then asked permission to search the vehicle and my brother gave consent. Det. Edison began searching the vehicle and stated that he found something in his backpack and told the other Det. Wiggins to handcuff him. My brother begged and pleaded to be shown what was found (because the last cops refused to show him the evidence in the Marijuana case). Det Edison refused to show him anything and instead kept him in cuffs and began laughing in my brother’s face. My brother told him that this isnt’ funny and he stated that ” it is fuc**ng hilarious.

In the meantime, I was on the phone with my mother awaiting my brother’s arrival because I was taking him to his Dr. Appt. My mother became concerned when the phone interview called and my brother had still not made it home. My mother got in her vehicle and drove down the road to look for him and to make sure that he was ok. She saw the truck that my brother was driving pulled into a side road and a undercover car behind his but couldn’t see my brother (she thought maybe he had gotten into an accident.) I was still on the phone with my mother when she pulled up and she screamed and hung up on me.

She got out of her vehicle and approached the Detectives. Upon arriving she asked the detectives if my brother was alright. Det. Edison immediantly began yelling at her and proceeded towards her. My brother was then seen in handcuffs and he began telling her what they said that they found but refused to show him. Det. Edison continued to yell and degrade my almost 60 year old mother. He was in her face and screaming so closely that his spit was bouncing off of my mother’s face. Det. Edison was presssed up against my mother so hard that her back was bent over her vehicle. She was so scared that she closed her eyes, He then commanded her to ” open her eyes.” As the spit continued my mother was forced to open her eyes and was asked repeatedly if she wanted to go to jail. Det. Edison told my mother how cracked out my brother was at that moment (Once released from jail he took drug test in Bartow and passed every drug.) My mother was able to retreat to her vehicle where she was looking for her phone, when Det. Wiggins unbuckled her gun holster while glaring at my mother. My mother was then able to leave and that’s when she called me back, My mother advised me of what the Detectives have just done to her and that my brother was in handcuffs.

Upon hearing this, I drove towards the place where my brother was to give the Detectives my brother’s Lawyer’s business card (which was already retained.) I heard how they treated my mother and didn’t want them to harass my brother any further without his lawyer present. I pulled up behind the undercover vehicle and got out of my vehicle with the card in my hand. I approached the Detectives and told them that my brother does have a lawyer and that this card was for them so they were aware of it. Det. Edison snatched the card out of my hand and pushed it less than an inch from my nose and yelled, ” ARE YOU TRYING TO INTIMIDATE ME?!” I told him, ” No Sir, I’m not trying to intimidate you but he has a lawyer and you should know that.”

Det, Edison then placed one hand on his cuffs and lunged at me with the other yelling, “THAT’S IT, YOU’RE UNDER ARREST FOR INTIMIDATION!!!” I jumped back and hurried back to my vehicle saying, ” No, Sir.” I then told my brother, ” Don’t say another word and don’t sign anything.” I left without further conversation with either Detective. Before I drove away I immediately called my lawyer (same as my brother’s) and told him what had just happened. As soon as I hung up with him, I called 911.

I told the operator what Det. Edison had just done to me and that I needed to speak to someone in regards to this. I was told that Sgt. Joyner was his supervisor and he would call me back. Sgt. Joyner returned my call and stated that he will speak to both his Detectives but they were currently doing Surveillance so it may be the next day. I waited almost 3 weeks for his return call.

Finally I called Sgt. Joyner back to check the status of my complaint. He began the phone call yelling at me as well asking, “Why did I wait so long to call back?!” I told him that our last conversation he said that he was going to investigate and I didn’t want to be breathing down his neck while the investigation was going on so I figured I’d give him time but when he never called back I decided to call him. He then stated, ” Ok, I can respect that.” Sgt Joyner then began to tell me that Det. Edison was right the way he acted because I was being belligerent (which, read later that is what Det. Edison put in his report.)

I told Sgt. Joyner that in fact this is not what happened and asked if I could have a meeting face to face with Det. Edison and Sgt Joyner said that I can not. I told him again that this isn’t what happened but he refused to listen. I then asked him if I could get witnesses (this incident happened in front of houses) could I have him speak to them so they could tell him what happened. He told me that I could have them call him and ” HE WILL ENTERTAIN THEM.”

At this point, I became frustrated at our system and hung up. Since the incident we have received the police report, it states that they found a baggy with cocaine residue in my brother’s backpack. When we picked the truck up from impound the backpack was still in good condition…It was unzipped but his school books with homework still between the pages was undisturbed, calculator was still neatly placed in the front pocket and inside zippers were still zipped. The middle console and glove box were completely torn apart and gone through.

I have seen police search vehicles before and this is not how a backpack would look post search especially when supposed baggy was found inside it. I also don’t know what kind of Surveillance these Detectives have been on to act in such a violent and deranged manner. Det. Edison named my mother and I personally in the police report which makes me know that he didn’t write the report until after he received the complaint that I had made against him.

It’s not fair or right how DETECTIVE EDISON can treat a citizen and how the POLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE will protect him. I’ve been told by another officer that ” Cops don’t lie because if they got caught they would lose their job.” MY RESPONSE WAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE, “THEY CAN LIE ALL THEY WANT BECAUSE THEY WILL NEVER GET CAUGHT BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS STICK UP FOR EACH OTHER!” My mother called the Sheriff’s Office that day and asked to press charges on Detective Edison but was told she was not allowed. Is this justice? Det. Edison and other Cops with the POLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE can mistreat, threaten, abuse, lie and falsely accuse their citizens?

I’ve asked about our rights but noone wants to let you have them. I want Det. Edison drug tested because he appeared to be on some type of drug to act as he did. Please let me know if you have had problems with the PCSO, we are only one voice alone but together we might be heard. Thank you for listening and GOD BLESS!