WEST PALM BEACH, FL—In what can only be described as a Florida Man crossover episode with Bad Cops Gone Wild, seven officers were arrested after a high-speed chase ended in tragedy—and then they apparently decided the best course of action was to yeet themselves out of there like they were late for a donut break.
The whole mess started when Neoni Copeland (23) decided to play Grand Theft Auto: Florida Edition and led police on a chase that ended with him crashing into a car carrying Maria Pochette (57) and her pregnant daughter, Jenice Woods (27). Both women tragically lost their lives.
But here’s where things go from bad to Florida bad—three of the officers involved, Austin B. Danielovich, Pierre F. Etienne, and Christopher C. Rekdahl, were charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death (because apparently, “serve and protect” now means “peel out like you just remembered you left the oven on”).
Four more officers—Michael E. Borgen, William L. Loayza, Brandan C. Stedfelt, and Darien J. Thomas—were slapped with official misconduct charges, because when you’re already in hot water, why not throw in a little extra spice?
State Attorney Alexcia Cox did not hold back, saying, “The police officers’ actions are a disturbing betrayal of the public trust.”
Translation: Y’all had ONE job.
Stay tuned for the next episode of Florida: Where Accountability Goes to Die.