A Tampa Police officer has been reprimanded after video showed him dragging a woman to jail.
The woman, Sonja Mimmenger, had been arrested on drug charges and trespassing.
The video, shot in October of 2013, shows the transport area of the jail.
Officer Scott Van Treese is seen dragging Mimmenger, whose hands are handcuffed behind her back. According to an internal affairs investigation report, Mimmenger refused to walk on her own.
Mimmenger was later medically cleared and according to the investigation faked her injury.
According to the internal affairs investigation, the officer “should have used better judgment in managing the uncooperative defendant by gaining the assistance of booking deputies.”
Treese received a written reprimand.
“We felt it was inappropriate for the prisoner to be (dragged) from the car to booking. That is why the written reprimand was put in place,” said TPD Major Diane Hobley-Burney.
Also, the department also changed its policy so that anyone who is passively resisting arrest now has two officers conduct the transport.
“It was subsequently revealed that Officer Van Treese was unaware of the HCSO policy that outlines how to handle resistant prisoners or that HCSO would provide assistance in this instance.”
As a result, the department distributed a legal bulletin outlining the specifics of the policy to all members of the agency.
Hobley-Burney said Van Treese is a great officer with a good track record, he just made a bad choice.
“Nobody should be treated in that type of fashion,” Hobley-Burney said. “The officer was trying, he was trying to complete his task for the day.”
This wasn’t the first time Van Treese came in contact with this inmate.
Mimmenger has been criminally charged more than 40 times. Tampa Police have now offered her services to help her stay out of jail—and become a more successful citizen.
Other than being in a car accident on the job, Van Treese hasn’t had any disciplinary problems. He’s been on the force since 2008.