Hearing for Officer Mark Maupin Set for July

A veteran Altamonte Springs police officer who is accused of seriously injuring two people last November after losing control of his patrol car did not appear in court this morning.

Instead, a lawyer was present on his behalf.

The hearing was to address the traffic citations that were issued to Officer Mark Maupin by the Florida Highway Patrol. Last month Maupin was issued a six-point ticket for unlawful speed. He does not face any criminal charges.

Lawyers for the two victims, Jennifer Hernandez and Erskin Bell, asked the judge to push back the hearing. A new hearing was set for July 7 at 11 a.m.

Investigative reports show that Maupin hit the back passenger side of Jennifer Hernandez's four-door Honda Civic at 104 mph. Hernandez, now 20, was hospitalized for several days. Her passenger, Erskin Bell, 20, remains in a coma from injuries he suffered in the crash.

Hernandez and Bell's lawyers planned to file a motion this morning to ask for a judge to be appointed to the case and request an investigation by the State Attorney's Office.

The motion states that the Florida Highway Patrol never interviewed Hernandez about the crash and that neither victim was notified of any charges against Maupin, nor were they notified of today's hearing.

Hernandez was stopped at a red light in the left turn lane on Maitland Boulevard near Bear Lake Road on Nov. 30 when they were hit.

Altamonte Springs police have not been able to determine why Maupin was driving at such a high speed at that time. Police spokesmen have said Maupin did not notify dispatchers of his actions immediately prior to the crash.

Troopers could not prove or disprove whether Maupin was taking law-enforcement action at the time, FHP spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Miller said.

Maupin, a 28-year department veteran, had been reprimanded six times for accidents involving his patrol vehicle since he began working for the department.

The discipline includes a 1992 incident in which he was caught driving his cruiser 82 mph with his lights off in the middle of the night on State Road 436 that was "intended as a joke on the person operating the radar," according to police records.

The day he returned to work following the crash, he was reprimanded for insubordination and his police powers were taken from him. An internal investigation by the police department was launched.