BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Starke City Manager Drew Mullins delivered a report March 12 that contradicted prior statements about a smooth transition of law enforcement responsibility from the city police department to the county sheriff’s office.
In addition to unveiling Police Chief Jeff Johnson’s alleged lack of cooperation and his struggle for authority, the report raises questions about the maintenance of public records and criminal evidence, expenditure of public funds, the whereabouts of city property, the conduct of police department employees and more.
Moreover, the police station was “ransacked” and left in disarray. Mullins responded by having the locks changed so only he and Sheriff Gordon Smith would have access in the aftermath of the transition.
“It looked like the entire building was just cleaned out with very little records that were still there,” Mullins told the commission. “I mean, I’ve got great concern over what was destroyed what was not,” he said of records found in trashcans and a document shredder.
One commissioner, Andy Redding, said the report was filled with examples of malfeasance, unethical behavior and dereliction of duty.
In response to the report, most commissioners supported Mullins’ recommendation that the city request a forensic audit to answer questions that the manager and the sheriff were unable to answer on their own.
The commission also voted to have the city attorney draft an ordinance defining the role of police chief as a ceremonial position as well as language for a referendum asking voters to remove the police chief as an elected official in the charter.
One of the final points in the report concerned a letter from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement saying that Johnson no longer had law enforcement authority following the disbandment of the police department. According to FDLE, Johnson’s certification will be inactive in their system. According to the city charter, anyone holding the office of police chief must meet the state’s minimum qualifications for police officers, and that means certification.
Mullins’ report begins with the reality check about the police chief’s cooperation.
“Sheriff Smith and I have worked well together and kept in almost daily communication. The same cannot be said for the Department’s cooperation. Several times during this process, I have had to get others involved to have the Chief cooperate as he stated multiple times, he did not have to listen to me or do what I asked,” Mullins wrote.
He goes on to detail what he and the sheriff found when they met at the police department on Feb. 22.
—two bottles of oxycontin unsecured that later testing found to be a placebo, but there were no records how it was used.
—an open evidence logbook in a back room open to the last entry on Feb. 10 that simply read “Drugs.”
—shredded documents.
—a large television missing from the conference room.
—bags of sealed evidence that were not in the evidence room.
—boxes of purchase orders in the generator room.
—personnel records in trash bags with tobacco spit and other garbage.
—other records in trash cans with tobacco spit on them.
—receipt books showing cash receipts but no cash bag on site.
—checks not turned into city hall.
—no accountability of equipment or uniforms.
—gun boxes with no weapons in them.
—uniforms thrown into a room.
—bags of bullets sitting in an office and bullets found in the back of a vehicle.
—no record of contracts entered with or without the commission’s approval.
“I have no way of knowing what is and is not accounted for. Chief Johnson provided several letters stating what was transferred; however, I do not know if this is everything. I recommend a forensic audit to properly account for all purchases, inventory, transfer, contracts, cash transactions, etc.,” Mullins wrote.
The city manager and sheriff also met with Johnson that day, and Mullins included a partial transcript of their conversation in the report during which Johnson claims not to have had time to turn everything over since the date of the transition was moved up. Mullins pointed out the chief had since Jan. 16 to put together an inventory.
“Well, I don’t have a list of what everyone has. I have no idea,” Johnson reportedly said.
“You don’t know who has what or what’s been assigned?” Mullins asked. “What about the cars?”
“I guess they’re all here. I don’t know. One could be in California for all I know,” Johnson responded.
“Well, the commission said everything was supposed to be turned in yesterday,” Mullins said, to which Johnson replied, “I’m done. I’m not listening to you anymore. I’m elected, and I don’t have to listen to you.”
Sheriff Smith urged cooperation, and Johnson agreed to turn over the information and inventory he did have. Officers parked their vehicles at city hall later that day.
Mullins had to reach out to Johnson again the next day for the petty cash and related records. Johnson brought a cash bag and note he said were given to him. Mullins said he couldn’t account for the location of the cash prior to receiving it from Johnson. By that time, the police department had already been locked down.
Mullins also reported on things happening prior to the transition, including the location of a Ford F-150 used by Col. Barry Warren prior to his retirement. After being approached by a commissioner about it, Mullins contacted Johnson who said he continued to let Warren use the truck through the end of December 2023 because he was coordinating the Shop with a Cop event. The truck did not show up until mid-January when it was found parked at Camp Blanding. Mullins contacted Johnson, who was noncommittal on when the truck would be returned.
According to Mullins, Johnson said, “Tell Andy and them to call me and talk about it because technically you can’t tell me what to do.” At the end of the call, he allegedly told the manger “things are going to get ugly.” Mullins asked the sheriff to contact Warren, and the truck was returned the next day.
Mullins spoke to two former officers and found “no accountability” over important functions. One officer said he was assigned to oversee the evidence room but received no training. He had no idea who had access to the room, and there was no procedure for checking in or out of the room.
The other officer reported procedures for confidential witnesses were not followed. If drugs were found during a traffic stop, the department would have that person purchase drugs from someone else in exchange for not being charged.
Both officers cited a lack of leadership and said they rarely saw Johnson or Warren when they worked there.
Mullins also writes about a police officer telling the sheriff negative items were being removed from personnel files and employees were being allowed to copy their own files as they applied for jobs at other agencies.
Mullins goes on to list multiple lawsuits including officer traffic accidents that have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance indemnity and expense to the city. The city recently had to settle a lawsuit where a citizen had claimed excessive force, false arrest and falsifying documents. There is a pending lawsuit involving an officer rear-ending a driver.
Mullins also mentioned a recent false arrest of someone who had been hospitalized at the time of the alleged crime and rehashed a subsequent meeting during which the commission decided to contract with the sheriff for law enforcement. Following the decision, audience members, including officers, shouted angrily at the commission and used profanity.
“Law enforcement (the sheriff’s office) had to be called and unfortunately our law enforcement was the one causing this,” Mullins said.
Johnson stormed out of that meeting as well, getting involved in an altercation with a citizen on the way out. Mullins said that citizen filed a complaint with the sheriff’s office that was turned over to the state attorney.
Mullins went on to the never resolved issue of officers having driven police vehicles outside the city limits, pointing out by the end, only one person on the police payroll — Johnson — lived in the city. The others lived outside of the county. He included mentions of police vehicles spotted in Lake City with officers in uniform and no explanation of why they would have been there as well as an off-duty officer traveling from Lake Butler to Lake City. Images were included.
Among the many photos included in the report — along with inventory lists, police reports and other records — are photos of showing the disarray of the police station as well as boxes and boxes of ammunition. A detective who met with Mullins and Smith there said it would take a “significant amount of time to use that much ammunition.”
They tried to inventory the weapons prior to the shutdown, but no one could produce a key to the armory.
“Guns were just open in the conference room,” Mullins wrote. They could not find an inventory list or documents on who was assigned equipment and when it was returned.
What they did have was a request from the chief to keep five guns, five laptops, five radios and ammunition for five “night watchmen.” The charter calls for a night watchman to work along with the police chief, but there was no need with police officers on duty. Those officers have now been replaced by deputies.
The report is 104 pages long, and when asked by Mayor Scott Roberts, Sheriff Smith said he backed it up.
Commissioner Janice Mortimer said Mullins, Smith and the sheriff’s office had done a “stellar job” documenting the situation.
“I think at this point in the game, we have no choice but to request a full forensic audit of the police department and see what else comes to the top,” Commissioner Redding said based on the report, which included issues of “misfeasance, malfeasance, misconduct, unethical behavior and dereliction of duty.”
“I think we owe it to the citizens of Starke to make sure that we have a full accounting,” Redding said.
The commission voted 3-1 with Commissioner Shannon Smith absent and Commissioner Danny Nugent continuing to stand by the police department and request that the sheriff and police chief work on answering the many questions raised.
The vote was the same on Mortimer’s motion to define the role of police chief as a ceremonial position and draft language for a referendum asking voters to remove the police chief as an elected official in the charter.
Johnson, who was present at the meeting, said little in response to the report, remarking at one point he knew nothing about it. He did ask what Mortimer meant by a ceremonial position.
Roberts explained the police department is no longer in existence.
“I’m just asking. We’re in uncharted waters, bro,” Johnson said.
Even if voters approve the referendum to remove the chief’s position from the charter, Johnson’s term lasts until the city’s election next fall. What his responsibilities are without a police department remains unclear.
