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Cops cleared for not arresting officer's son who sucker-punched a homeless man

An internal investigation into how Sanford police handled the case of an officer's son ? who was captured on videotape sucker-punching a homeless man ? has cleared every officer on the scene that night.

The investigation began after a bar patron put the video on YouTube. It shows Justin Collison walking up behind a homeless man and punching him in the back of the head. The blow knocked the man out and sent him to the hospital.

Several Sanford officers went to the scene but did not arrest 22-year-old Collison.

Lt. Mike Taylor, who was the watch commander, and Sgt. Anthony Raimondo said that was because the man who was knocked out, Sherman Ware, did not give police a sworn statement. As the Sentinel observes in today's editorial: "By that standard, we expect Sanford soon will become the nation's unsolved murder capital. After all, the dead don't tell tales or give sworn statements."

Read the Orlando Sentinel report here. And see previous posts here and here (with video).

Full post as published by the 13th juror on March 09, 2011 (boomark / email).