A corrections officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was arrested Monday and accused of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide following a crash on the Westside earlier this month.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters on Tuesday said the employee, Cashius Edwards, has been with JSO for seven years.
According to Waters, Edwards has been suspended without pay and stripped of all of his authority as a correctional officer.
“Never in my tenure with this agency has an officer been arrested for DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide,” Waters said. “And as your sheriff as a person who has spent over half this life devoted to this agency and this community, and as a human being I’m devastated, naturally. But even with this horrific incident weighing heavily on my heart, I am more resolved than ever to continue to do what is right for the city that I love. And today the right thing is holding Edwards accountable for his decisions and his actions.
JSO said on Nov. 12 around 2 a.m., the victim was driving southbound on Lane Avenue South approaching San Juan Avenue. Edwards was driving at a “very high rate of speed” northbound on Lane Avenue South, also approaching San Juan, Waters said. When the victim turned left on San Juan Avenue, Edwards crashed into the front of the victim’s vehicle, Waters said, and caused the victim’s vehicle to flip.
The victim died at the scene and Edwards was hurt but recovered after his car caught fire.
According to an arrest report, Edwards’ brother arrived at the scene after the crash and said they had just left a bar and JSO found a red Solo cup in his car. He is now being held on a $200,000 bond.
Waters said Edwards was not on duty at the time of the crash and was not driving a JSO vehicle.
Waters did not name the victim but offered support for the family.
“I do want to address the family members and friends of the deceased victim. I want you to know that I stand by and JSO stands by you,” he said.
There was still debris at the scene of the crash on Tuesday. The manager of a tire shop nearby said his fence was mangled in the crash.
Each charge against Edwards carries with it a potential 15-year sentence.
Edwards is the 13th member of JSO arrested this year by local law enforcement agencies. Of the 13, six have been for DUI accusations.
Those aren’t good numbers, said Tom Hackney who retired from JSO as the agency’s Director of Personnel and Professional Standards after decades of service.
“Any number is a high number,” Hackney said. “And again, because it’s so preventable, pick up a phone, call a friend call a taxi, call it Uber, it’s just there’s no excuse.”
Waters said he’s committed to transparency and accountability in facing difficult news.
“I do this because fundamentally JSO is an agency that belongs to the public, and today the news I share is both bad and ugly,” he said. “When an employee in this agency victimizes someone in our community, JSO’s allegiance firmly remains with that victim and the victim’s family.”
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Source: News4Jax
