The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested a Melbourne police officer Thursday afternoon on five felony and several misdemeanor charges.
Officer Frank Carter was arrested as a result of an investigation by the FDLE, said resident-agent-in-charge Wayne Ivey.
“He faces five felony charges of official misconduct and misdemeanor charges of falsifying records,” Ivey said. “We have been investigating him for the last two months.”
Ivey said Carter conducted traffic stops for infractions that the drivers did not commit, and subsequently wrote them tickets. According to information released by Melbourne police, the traffic stops and citations were made on “people of color.” The investigation began after a complaint made by a citizen, according to Melbourne police.
Melbourne Police Cmdr. Ron Bell said that “Officer Carter is on administrative leave.” Bell did not comment on whether there had been an internal investigation by Melbourne police into the conduct of Carter and did not answer any other questions about him.
“This is based on union politics and retaliation,” said Reed Cary, an attorney for Carter. He said Carter was a union leader with the Fraternal Order of Police.
Carter was held on a $2,000 bond before being released.
Carter is a 21-year-veteran of Melbourne police and was assigned to uniform patrol.
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