By Kyle Hightower
Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. — A former police officer in an affluent Orlando suburb is suing the town after charges that he conducted racially based traffic stops were later dropped.
Jason Darnell, who is white, also is suing Windermere’s former police chief, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and others after an investigation into the allegations discovered inconsistent statements in witness accounts.
Darnell was charged in April 2013 with misconduct and making threats against a public servant after a fellow officer told FDLE that Darnell had instructed him to pull over cars driven by black motorists. The charges were dismissed the following month.
Darnell is being represented by attorneys Jose Baez and Benjamin Crump, who achieved national fame during the Casey Anthony and Trayvon Martin cases. They say the lawsuit will be filed later Thursday.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press