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A Jacksonville woman and her daughter were left traumatized after being held at gunpoint and wrongfully detained during a traffic stop conducted by a Florida Fish and Wildlife officer last month.
The incident, which occurred near a Gate Gas Station off San Juan Blvd on Friday, June 23, has raised concerns about the use of force and the accuracy of information provided to law enforcement officers.
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Heather Charest, a Jacksonville resident, was pulled over by Lieutenant Paul Hein of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. While their officers focus mainly on conservation, they can enforce Florida law.
In recently released body camera footage, Lt. Hein can be seen pointing his gun at Charest and subsequently detaining her. Charest’s 14-year-old daughter, who was also in the vehicle at the time, was visibly shaken by the incident.
“It was super traumatizing,” Charest said, reflecting on the experience.
During the encounter, Lt. Hein engaged in a conversation with Charest’s daughter, asking her questions and requesting her to step out of the vehicle at gunpoint.
Officer: “I’m Lieutenant Hein with Fish and Wildlife. How you doing?”
Bayleigh: “Good.”
Officer: “Mam, how you doing?”
Bayleigh: “Good.”
Officer: “OK. Um, go ahead. You can step out for me. OK? Are there any weapons in the car?”
Bayleigh: “No, Sir.”
Officer: “OK. Alright. It’s alright. Come on out for me. Do me a favor just pull up your shirt for me and spin around.”
Charest, as a mother, expressed her distress at being unable to protect her daughter while being handcuffed in Lt. Hein’s car.
“You know, as a mother, I’m freaking out. I can’t get to her. I’m handcuffed in his car. It was extremely traumatizing… And it was traumatizing for her to see her mother at gunpoint, you know, at nine o’clock at night after a night out with friends,” Charest emotionally recounted.
The arrest was based on an alleged stolen truck tag. However, it was later discovered that the tag in question belonged to an Ohio motorcycle and not Charest’s Florida SUV. A Jacksonville Sheriff’s officer who arrived at the scene shared this crucial information, shedding light on the error made by Lt. Hein.
JSO Officer: “So, there is an Ohio motorcycle tag rolling around that’s the same as this, that’s stolen.”
FWC Officer: “Ok. Why would...?”
JSO Officer: “I don’t know.”
FWC Officer: “I’ve never seen that before.”
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While the incident could have been due to a system error, Action News Jax’s law and safety expert, Dale Carson said it could have been a human one due to unfamiliarity with with the system.
Charest believes that Lt. Hein may have acted hastily, potentially jumping to conclusions without verifying the accuracy of the information he had received.
In an email statement, FWC North Central Florida Regional Commander Major Scott Lee said, “We’ve reviewed the body cam footage for this stop and found that Lt. Hein followed protocol, with the information he was provided.”
At the end of the video, Lt. Hein is heard apologizing to Charest for what he said was an inconvenience.
FWC’s statement added on to say they will determine whether additional training or counseling is needed to prevent similar mistakes in the future.
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