- December 14, 2024
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The Florida Department of Law Enforcement concluded an investigation into Port Orange Police Capt. Kimberly Kilpatrick, and it found no evidence to support the forgery allegations made against her last week, according to FDLE spokeswoman Angela Starke.
Port Orange Police Chief Thomas Grimaldi updated City Council about the investigation at the regular council meeting on Oct. 2.
"I'm sad to say that the allegation appears to be nothing more than a product of internal rumor mongering filed by one of our own officers," he said.
Grimaldi said a patrol officer within the Port Orange Police Department brought forward a criminal investigation based entirely on hearsay. Grimaldi said he turned over the investigation to FDLE, which traced back the rumor to its origins and found that "it was all smoke and no fire."
The investigation went back to events that happened two years ago. The daughter of a former detective said in a sworn statement that Kilpatrick helped her find necessary forms to obtain power of attorney and update beneficiary information after her father's motorcycle accident.
Grimaldi said Kilpatrick was only assisting the family of an injured colleague in their time of need.
He also addressed Robert Walker's email sent to the police department over the weekend. In the email, Walker, who is an organizer for the International Union of Police Associations, asked why Kilpatrick was still working during the investigation.
"The answer is simple: There was not one iota of evidence presented to support the allegations," Grimaldi said. "In this country you are innocent until proven guilty, and that does not change when you're a police officer."
