Pembroke Pines Metropolis Commissioner Jay D. Schwartz is not going to face legal expenses for impersonating a legislation enforcement officer, stemming from an incident at Charles W. Flanagan Excessive Faculty on Could 21, the place he questioned college students about marijuana and their employment.
Authorities decided that whereas his actions amounted to a “technical violation” of Florida legislation, there was inadequate proof for legal prosecution.
The case was referred to the Broward County State Lawyer’s Workplace Public Corruption Unit on July 16 after the Florida Division of Legislation Enforcement (FDLE) concluded its overview. The investigation stemmed from a grievance filed by the Pembroke Pines Police Division alleging that Schwartz impersonated a legislation enforcement officer whereas questioning college students about marijuana and asking about their locations of labor.
Through the incident, Schwartz reportedly pulled a badge from his pockets and confronted a number of college students. He was later recognized as an adjunct teacher from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical College, educating twin enrollment aviation programs at Flanagan Excessive Faculty.
Sworn statements indicated that the confrontation lasted between three and 5 minutes, and the principal, Brad Fatout, mentioned Schwartz admitted there was no cheap suspicion to query the scholars. A campus monitor confirmed observing the interplay, noting that Schwartz displayed the badge and made feedback through the encounter.
The State Lawyer’s close-out memo concluded that whereas Schwartz’s conduct technically violated Florida legislation and mirrored “poor judgment,” he didn’t act with the particular intent mandatory for legal culpability. The badge recognized him as a metropolis commissioner, and he by no means explicitly claimed to be legislation enforcement. The memo said there was “no cheap chance of conviction.”
One scholar reported that Schwartz repeatedly requested about marijuana, writing in a signed assertion that the commissioner “saved asking me again and again the place’s the weed” and “introduced himself as if he had been an officer.”
A spokesperson for Broward County Public Colleges confirmed {that a} completely different teacher is now educating this system at Flanagan Excessive Faculty.
Whereas authorities deemed Schwartz’s conduct inappropriate and improper, it falls wanting legal motion.
