Two Coral Springs Police officers were being investigated after allegations they may have lied under oath against a woman who was arrested while calling for a tow truck.
The case against Susan Mait has been dropped, the state attorney's office told NBC 6 after an Oct. 4, incident where an off-duty officer stopped to help her with her two flat tires after her car had struck the median on Royal Palm Boulevard, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
Officer Derek Fernandes, who was no longer on duty, told her she either had to call a tow truck or he would call a more expensive city contractor, the newspaper reported. She called her insurance company to arrange the car transport.
While Mait was on the phone with her insurance company arranging to get her car towed, on-duty officer Nicole Stasnek came to the scene. And according to a phone recording, Stasnek swore at Mait, who was eventually arrested and charged with driving under the influence of drugs and resisting an officer with and without violence, the newspaper said.
A urine test showed she had a prescription anti-depressant in her body, and prosecutors ultimately dropped the felony charges. The misdemeanor charges weren't dropped until her attorney was able obtain the recording of some of the exchange with the officer, the newspaper reported.
It also recorded Stasnek and Fernandes talking about how to deal any internal investigation, the newspaper said.
"The two officers have been sent letters by our office sayign they are being investigated for allegations of filing false documents," the state attorney's office said in an email statement to NBC 6.
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The newspaper reported that Stasnek testified that she did put her hand up to say, "Talk to the hand," and the recording also shows Mait told the officer "Did you not see me on the phone?"
Stasnek was quoted by the newspaper as saying "give me your f***ing license," on the recording.
Mait claims she was thrown on the ground and kicked, but Stasnek said she arrested Mait when she started resisting.
Telephone messages left by NBC 6 for the Coral Springs Police spokesman weren't immediately returned.
