MELBOURNE, Fla. – The state attorney’s office says it will not prosecute a Melbourne police officer who faced a domestic violence charge.
Lt. Trevor Shaffer faced a judge at the Brevard County jail in December when the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said Shaffer pushed a woman’s hand into a hot frying pan while she was cooking.
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Deputies said the woman screamed as she suffered second-degree burns.
Shaffer was a public information officer for the department, but now Melbourne police said he is on administrative leave and his police powers are suspended.
This comes after another Melbourne officer, Peter Dolci, got a speeding ticket weeks after being pulled over for a possible DUI in January. Dolci was allowed to get a ride home when a Palm Bay officer started giving him a sobriety test.
Dolci was not arrested.
And while Shaffer was, the state attorney’s office is now dropping his domestic violence charge, saying prosecutors don’t have the evidence to prove it.
A statement from the state attorney’s office said Mrs. Shaffer now claims she burned herself or her husband burned her by accident.
Furthermore, since the state attorney’s office said Mrs. Shaffer didn’t call 911, law enforcement wasn’t contacted until she was at the hospital, so investigators didn’t document the initial scene at the house.
Shaffer’s attorney addressed the judge in December when talking about setting his bond.
Alan Diamond said Shaffer did not have a prior record.
‘’He is not a threat to the community at large,’’ Diamond argued. ‘’He is not the type that’s going to cause an issue.’’
News 6 asked Wednesday to interview the Melbourne police chief about the two officers on administrative leave but the department responded that the law prohibits police from commenting while investigating personnel matters.