Beach commission to hold special meeting

Historic City News has learned that the City of St Augustine Beach has called a special meeting to address a complaint filed by 10 of the 14 St Augustine Beach Police Department officers against the police chief; 57 year-old Richard L. Hedges.

The assistant police chief, Daniel Decoursey, is also named in the complaint; which alleges immoral, unethical and illegal acts.

The complainants say that a police firearm, a Glock Model 19, is missing. Three other weapons, a Walther PPK and two revolvers, remain unaccounted after they were turned in to the department, the officers said. Other property missing, according to the complaint, is a $1,500 police bicycle that the officer’s claim was stolen.

The commissioners will have a very narrowly focused agenda — to determine which law enforcement agency will investigate these allegations.

Besides favoritism, misleading the public, and the chief’s absence at serious calls; the 50-page complaint report says there has been overspending on legal fees. The chief and assistant chief are accused of having allowed a dead person’s truck to be improperly handled, and, in other specific cases, reckless driving of a city vehicle, failure to report the theft of a 50cc motorcycle, and failure to collect evidence of a reported sexual assault.

The meeting will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday at St Augustine Beach City Hall.