Milton leaders consider private investigation of traffic accident

Jan. 22--MILTON -- A Crestview resident involved in a Highway 90 car accident one year ago is accusing the Milton Police Department of possible corruption.

During the Jan. 18 Committee of the Whole meeting, Randy Jones described events he said led up to and followed the Jan. 14, 2017 car accident that happened in front of the Raceway gas station where Jones' vehicle t-boned a van pulling out of the gas station.

According to Jones, he and his wife were transported by ambulance to the emergency room of Santa Rosa Medical Center. He then said two Milton police officers visited him at the hospital to tell him the investigation couldn't be conducted that night because the woman left the scene of the accident.

"My first concern was, 'Oh my God, this woman had a head injury and she wandered off,'" Jones said. "That wasn't the fact. When I started questioning what happened, [one of the officers]... said, 'Don't worry... The woman is friends with a high-level police officer.'"

Jones said he was concerned he would be found at fault for the accident due to the woman's relationship with law enforcement -- allegedly an officer with the Santa Rosa Sherriff's Office. Jones called the Florida Highway Patrol from the emergency room, only to be told that the accident happened in Milton's jurisdiction so they could not be of any assistance.

"[The officer] came back into my room and threatened me with arrest for hampering a police investigation," Jones said.

Jones states that he never received the woman's information, including her name, and he had to conduct research based on the business name on her vehicle to find out who she was. He accused the police of letting the woman leave the scene of the accident without getting her information or statements.

Jones accused the woman of being under the influence of alcohol during the accident, and requested an investigation by the police department. Jones then alleged that the completed investigation resulted in inaccurate results.

Jones during the Thursday meeting requested a private investigation on the accident.

Tindell approached the council and addressed the issues brought forth by Jones. According to Tindell, the officers were verbally counseled for conducting themselves inappropriately with a crash victim. Tindell also stated that one of the officers in question resigned during the investigation for personal reasons.

The woman involved in the accident was observed by officers at the scene and did not show signs of intoxication, and she received a citation for not yielding to the right of way, Tindell said. The only information the woman didn't give the police was her insurance information, according to Tindell.

The City Council agreed to check with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to see if the city is able to request a private investigation for Jones. The issue will be discussed again at the February Exectutive Committee Meeting.

Jones in an interview with the Press Gazette following the meeting said he purposely didn't bring this issue to the public's attention for a year. He said he wanted to give the city a chance to "clean their back yard."

"I'm climbing the tallest mountain I can find and I'm going to start screaming until someone listens to me," Jones said. "I'm not backing down, I'm not giving up.

"All I want is for me and my wife to be whole, and we're not."

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