Ardit Coma, the Flagler County Sheriff’s detective arrested on a charge of fleeing and eluding by Ormond Beach police last week, will serve a two-day suspension without pay and the loss of his take-home privilege of an agency-issued car for 90 days for speeding on his way to work.
The State Attorney’s Office dropped the fleeing and eluding charge within four days of Coma’s arrest, a dismissal that underscored the charge’s inappropriateness and likely lack of probable cause. Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey defended the arrest in a statement on Thursday.
Sheriff Rick Staly had immediately suspended Coma without pay over the third-degree felony charge. He was reinstated Monday. The two-day suspension without pay already served is the penalty: he will not have to lose an additional two days.
“Sheriff Staly believes in accountability and transparency, and Detective Coma accepted full responsibility for his actions and quickly waived a formal disciplinary hearing, which allowed us to resolve this matter quickly once all investigations were completed,” Chief of Staff Mark Strobridge was quoted as saying in a sheriff’s release.
The sheriff’s internal affairs investigation was as rapid as the State Attorney’s action, following Coma himself filing a “Notice of Expedited Discipline.”
Two pages of the seven-page IA summarize the arrest and the dismissal of the charge, which left the internal investigator with examining only the speeding issue. Coma had been clocked going 88 in a 55 on U.S. 1. He did not dispute doing so. He’d had an issue getting to work on time previously, had been talked to about it, and that day was speeding to make it to Bunnell on time.
“A review of the reports from the Ormond Beach Police Department was consistent with footage from their Axon Body camera footage,” the internal investigation states. “After a review of the Axon Body camera footage, no interviews were necessary.”
Coma’s informal statements, if there were any, are not to be made part of the formal record. But FlaglerLive learned that he was deeply regretful of the incident, but also disturbed by the treatment he received at the hands of Ormond police, who went so far as to refuse him water at one point as he was inexplicably held for several hours in a patrol car.
His speeding amounted to violations of two Sheriff’s Office policies–unbecoming conduct, and violating rules of the road with his agency vehicle. “Personnel shall operate official vehicles in a careful and prudent manner and shall obey all laws and all agency orders pertaining to such operation,” the policy states.
The IA was completed and signed by all parties today. The Sheriff’s Office announced it in a release late this afternoon.
“Our employees are held to a higher standard than the average driver, which is why, on top of whatever a court determines the traffic infraction fine to be, he faced additional discipline by the agency to include a suspension and loss of his take-home vehicle privileges,” Strobridge said. “His actions hurt the image of our agency and the trust people have in the men and women who work hard to serve and protect our citizens. It is my hope he will learn from his mistake and move forward solving crimes and seeking justice for victims.”
The release states that the two days’ suspension cost him $851.48 in wages and benefits, though the figure is significantly larger than how it will directly affect Coma: his pre-tax salary is $62,000 (or $340 for two days), and he will not be losing, say, a fraction of his equipment, his insurance or his ammunition, though all those costs are generally included in the full sum of a deputy’s annual cost to the agency.
Coma, 28, had applied for work at the Ormond Beach Police Department at the same time that he had at the Sheriff’s Office in 2023. He opted to work for the Sheriff’s Office even though he was being offered a job in Ormond (the department had already issued him his name plate).
Jim says
Just another example of good old boys taking care of one another.
Nobody says
Certainty sounds shady and defiantly not a good look for law FCSO. Doing 88 in a 55 seems careless, reckless and a danger to the public, I’m surprised Staley and company let him off with slap on the hand.
Sounds like Ormond Beach Police make the right call but as usual in Florida politics got in the way.
JOE says
rick staly should be FIRED.
Bob hustion says
Are you kidding me. The flagler sheriff thinks there was a lack of evidence. Boy the fix was in for this. 2 years as a deputy and he’s on the major case squad. This cop must be either a natural born genius or boy foes he have deep connections. I.think it’s the ladder of the 2. Getting back.to.the ” lack.of evidence ” BS. The sheriff Is slinging. Multiple police cars with light and sirens on chasing you and he drives around a stop.stick in the road .to avoid it really sheriff really your going to stand by that line of horse poop. Anybody else that would have put police officers and the publics lives at would be arrested and the charges would stay. If not fired this ” Detective ” should be put on school crossing guard duty and never in a un marked car again.. when.i read this story with the sheriff and the courts. I read the word corruption and the highest level of government. That my opinion.
JimboXYZ says
Yep, there is a bad case of selective dot connecting that still goes on in this world with every level of law enforcement from FBI down to this example of a local police force. The news is bad enough of a look that 88 mph in a 55 mph zone is embarrassing. Then somehow, the investigation & solution is “lack of evidence” ? Anyone that could drive 88 mph & be that unaware that they were the sole reason there was a pursuit, stop sticks order in the 1st place. At what point of leaving every car on the road behind them, would any motorist suspect that maybe that they were speeding ? Can’t watch this train wreck of fabrications of excuses any more ? Yet somehow I’m confident to know it’s not the last of it that we ever read about.
FlaglerLive says
There were no “multiple police cars with lights and sirens.” According to the arresting officer’s own report, there was one car (the arresting officer’s), its lights and sirens were on briefly, then he stopped, as he was not going to chase, signaling ahead to an officer for stop sticks, at which point Coma stopped to help.
Not Surprised says
Please keep us posted on the court-imposed traffic infraction fine. If the fix continues to be in place, it will no doubt be dismissed.
Skibum says
I believe the penalty that the sheriff is giving this detective is appropriate, given the fact that after the prosecutor dismissed the felony charge all he is facing is a speeding violation. So a 90-day suspension of his FCSO take home vehicle privilege is not insignificant.
This detective has a documented history of not being able to get to work on time. Apparently that is the reason he was speeding in the first place, which is, by the way, a very common excuse given by a lot of violators when stopped for speeding. Again… cops are supposed to be seen as an example, not the problem.
I hope this detective’s supervisors keep him on their radar because it seems to me that he is not at this period of time the most responsible, or the most noteworthy member of the sheriff’s office. Maybe he just has a lot of maturing to do because of his young age. I hope he drives his personal vehicle much more appropriately for the next three months… AND manages to get to work on time. Maybe then he will not be viewed as an embarrassment.
Atwp says
Will a person not working for the department get a nice slap on the hand, and very little punishment? Probably not.
Scott Smith says
A joke!!!!
Tom Thomas says
It is as simple as this…. Anyone else would have been arrested and booked and put in jail. End of story… The avg person couldn’t go to their boss and get out of the offence. The avg person couldn’t use their position to get out of the offence. So its plain and simple, he got the charges dropped because the system covers itself so they don’t look bad. There is no other excuse.
Just think if it was you, you wouldn’t get away with this with just a ticket. You would be going to court try to explain why you thought you could use excessive speed, endangering other drivers, evading the police who had their lights and sirens on. you could say, sorry i am a plumber or electrician or cook and I needed to get to my job. So there is no other excuse, outside that they are abusing power by calling favors or whatever you want to call it.
Just like anyone else, they should be held accountable for their actions. Just like anybody else if they are an upstanding citizen, I am sure the charges would be reduced from a Felony to a lower charge, but using the authority of being a LEO is UNFAIR and NOT RIGHT.
hjc says
This guy has someone very high in the court system watching his back. Get phone records someone at FCSO made a call to someone high up in the court system. Get out of jail free card work great. SUPER SPEEDER got away with it
What ever happened to the deputy and his daughter that shot the kid in the neck.
Our tax dollars support these escapades.
Old Flagler says
How comes he wasn’t charged with Reckless driving, a misdemeanor warrant less arrest, because he was going 30 over?