Flagler Sheriff’s Detention Deputy’s Battery Charge Likely to Be Dropped as Alleged Victim Refuses to Pursue It

The alleged victim at the center of an incident that led to the arrest of a Flagler County Sheriff’s detention deputy on New Year’s night has all but recanted and asked the court to drop the charges and lift a no-contact order.

On Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Office issued a release about the arrest in Daytona Beach of Sara Radford, a detention deputy, on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge. Today, Jose Marine, wrote the court “to formally state I don’t wish to pursue charges.”

He wrote Volusia County Court Judge David Cromartie that on Jan. 1, “circumstances arose that led to law enforcement involvement. Due to the overall confusion of the situation I’m unable to recall events that occurred. At no point was there any physical injury or intentional harm caused.”

A misdemeanor battery charge is punishable by a maximum of a year in jail, though it rarely leads to jail time, and for first-time offenders, it typically results in some probation. Absent unusual circumstances, prosecutors don’t generally pursue a battery charge when the alleged victim doesn’t want to pursue it, or has recanted.

“Sara Radford is not a violent person,” Marine wrote. “She poses no threat to me or others. I told officers on scene I was drunk and [confused]. I didn’t want to pursue charges and no legal action is needed.”

Radford was suspended without pay on Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Office said, pending the outcome of the criminal case. She was the agency’s 2023 Detention Deputy of the Year. Radford joined the agency in August 2011.

The State Attorney’s Office had not filed an information ratifying the charge, and has not yet filed a document dismissing the charge. Either way, Radford is likely to face an internal inquiry and possible penalties for policy violations. She is the second member of the Sheriff’s Office to face arrest in less than a month. Ardit Coma, a detective, was arrested on a fleeing and eluding charge in Ormond Beach in early December. The charge was quickly dropped. Coma was disciplined for speeding in an agency-issued vehicle.