Bradenton Police mistake results in witness' arrest

BRADENTON — The pickup truck that ran the red light was traveling west and speeding. The front end was smashed. The headlights were out. The airbag was flapping through a window.

It was the night of March 11, and Adam Thornton was waiting at the intersection of Cortez Road and 14th Street in Bradenton when he saw the truck, so he hung a U-turn and followed it, growing even more concerned after seeing a tire blow out in front of a laundromat.

The driver of the truck pulled into a Taco Bell and appeared to take off running. Thornton, who had noticed a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office vehicle during the pursuit, drove back and flagged the deputy down. When they arrived at the Taco Bell they found the man waiting by the door.

By then the Bradenton Police Department had arrived on the scene, and Adam Williams was arrested for driving under the influence. He also had been involved in an accident that night.

Thornton, a 28-year-old father of three who owns a car business, gave his witness statement and figured that was that — his civic duty was complete.

Then it happened again.

Five months later, on Aug. 20, near the intersection of U.S. 41 and 63rd Street in Bayshore Gardens, Thornton saw a car drive off the road, go through a ditch and hit a tree in the parking lot of the Wells Fargo bank.

Thornton called 911, gave the deputy his statement and even stayed to help clean up debris from the accident.

He was just about to leave when a sergeant said to him, “Hey, Adam, can you come here real quick?’’

“And as I walk over there the sergeant says, ‘Do you know there is a warrant out for your arrest?’ ’’ Thornton said. “I said, ‘No, I didn’t.’ ’’

Thornton’s Social Security number and license were called in over the radio, and sure enough: “It all comes back to me,’’ he said.

Turns out a warrant had been issued for Thornton’s arrest by mistake. It was Thornton who was charged with the DUI on March 11, when in fact he was actually the witness. Bradenton police mistook Adam Thornton for Adam Williams.

Thornton said the deputy was “very nice’’ in his arrest, and even handcuffed him in front so he wasn’t uncomfortable. He was transported to the Manatee County Jail and booked around 2 a.m. He posted a $120 bond at 2:20 a.m. he said.

“Even the officer who took me up there said this doesn’t make sense,’’ Thornton said. “Why would there be a warrant out for a DUI? It’s a capias, not a bench warrant, and if you get a DUI your bond is usually around $1,000. Mine was only 120 bucks cash. Everyone at jail thought it was weird.’’

Thornton said even though he posted his bond at 2:20 a.m. he was not released from jail until 10:30 the next morning — more than eight hours later.

“There was a problem with the paperwork, is what they told me,’’ he said.

On Aug. 22, the State Attorney’s office filed a motion to correct the court records, stating that Thornton was “a witness in the case and not the accused.’’

Williams, meanwhile, was charged with a felony in the case.

Assistant State Attorney Darlene Ragoonana, the supervisor of Matthew Tympanick, the prosecutor who signed the warrant for Thornton’s arrest, said “the paperwork he received had the name of Mr. Thornton on it as the accused. The correct person and Mr. Thornton had the same first name. It appears as though law enforcement mixed them up.’’

She said the error was caught by the assistant state attorney prosecuting Williams’ case and the Bradenton Police Department was notified.

According to a police report, the wrong report was written on March 11, and BPD officer Donald Davis corrected it on March 29. Thornton said that two days later the corrected version was reviewed by Danny Bench, Davis’ supervisor at the BPD.

“I don’t know if I can put all of the blame on Mr. Davis,’’ Thornton said.

Bradenton Police Dept. spokesman Lt. Brian Thiers said an administrative investigation is underway.

“Obviously it’s an extremely unfortunate event,’’ Thiers said. “We’re working with the State Attorney’s Office to reach an amicable conclusion.’’

No matter who was at fault — Thornton has retained counsel — the mistake has had a negative impact on his personal life and car business.

Thornton said though he rarely drinks, his wife was not convinced it wasn’t him. The incident, he said, is “still causing issues’’ between them, and they live apart.

He said he has been trying to reunite his family by putting down payments on two rental homes, but in both instances the money was returned after the landlords looked into his past and saw the charge. It has also crushed his custom car building business.

“My phone used to ring off the hook,’’ he said. “But since this has happened my phone has rang maybe four times.’’

And yet, after everything the mistake has put him through, Thornton said he would not hesitate to provide a witness statement should the situation ever present itself again.

“I still have a civil duty to protect the people in my society.’’

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