The detained officer has only himself to blame

The public appears to be turning out in support of Christian Butterfield, a former Vero Beach police officer who was arrested two weeks ago on charges of illegally disposing of more than 20 grams of marijuana seized during a traffic stop last month.

It should not be.

Don’t be offended: It’s understandable that some people feel sympathy for a rookie cop who made an ill-considered and costly mistake that forced him to resign, derailed his law enforcement career, and could end up with a life of criminal record.

But despite what Butterfield’s attorney, Andy Metcalf, tells us, police and prosecutors had no choice but to arrest and charge his client based on the evidence available to them.

“I understand there are people who don’t think he should have been arrested, but we arrest civilians for the same crime,” said Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey. “I don’t think people want us to treat police officers differently just because they’re police officers.”

No no.

As it turns out, there are a lot of people in our community who want police to treat suspects differently just because the crime involves marijuana.

But we need to move past the false narrative circulating around town and heavily promoted on social media, where too many of our neighbors are complaining that Butterfield did not deserve such harsh treatment.

We’re not talking about a teenager who just graduated from high school and didn’t know that was untrue.

Butterfield, 31, is a former U.S. Marine who worked as a corrections officer and a firefighter before joining the Vero Beach Police Department in October, both positions involving significant responsibility.

He had enough life experience. Given his past, he should have the maturity, discipline, and training necessary to comply with department policy and state law.

At the very least, his military history – service in what many consider the most demanding branch of our Armed Forces – should have taught him the importance of following orders.

Butterfield, in an astonishing lack of common sense, knowingly disregarded the officer’s order and, worse still, threw into the trash a large quantity of marijuana he had confiscated during a traffic stop on June 1.

He got rid of the evidence. He was arrested. He was charged with a third-degree felony, which carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.

And now he is a martyr?

Should his actions be commended if only for screwing up a case involving a controlled substance that could have become legal for adult recreational use in Florida in a few months?

Should he be considered a local law enforcement hero who must be fiercely defended because, following a 45-minute marijuana-related traffic stop during which he detained and handcuffed a 19-year-old driver and his 17-year-old passenger, he decided not to charge the suspects with any crimes?

That sentiment was reflected in the vast majority of more than 200 comments posted on the department’s Facebook page last weekend under the arrest affidavit released on June 19.

Many commenters expressed outrage at Butterfield’s arrest and said he should be commended, not punished, for the “compassion” he showed in deciding not to “ruin the lives” of the young driver and his passenger by charging him with a crime.

Some went so far as to say Vero Beach needs more police officers like Butterfield — and, of course, similar comments could be heard in conversations throughout our community.
This is disturbing.

It apparently doesn’t matter that Butterfield found a baggie containing more than 20 grams of marijuana and a THC-containing vaporizer in the suspects’ car, or that possession of either is a third-degree felony under current Florida law.

Nor does it matter that Butterfield’s decision to let the suspects go without charge clearly violated at least one of the department’s general orders, which prohibit officers from making arrest decisions when the alleged crime exceeds the bounds of a misdemeanor.

Even more disturbing, however, was the willingness of Butterfield’s supporters to ignore his decision to throw the confiscated marijuana and vaporizer into a dumpster in the police station parking lot, even though tampering with evidence is also a crime.

Doesn’t that bother you?

Are we really supposed to celebrate the actions of a police officer who deliberately disobeyed orders, knowingly broke the law, and then recklessly endangered public safety by throwing a bag containing approximately 27 grams of marijuana and a THC-infused vaporizer into an easily accessible trash can?

Would you still defend Butterfield’s actions if some homeless man was rummaging through the trash, found a baggie, smoked so much marijuana he lost his bearings, and then walked out onto a busy street near a police station?

How would you feel if some curious teenager from your neighborhood looked into your trash can, grabbed a bag of marijuana, and consumed a lethal amount?

It might be worth reconsidering that stance, especially now that Butterfield, who was released from jail on $10,000 bail on June 19, has essentially admitted to violating a general order and tampering with evidence when he set up a GoFundMe page that he hopes will generate donations to cover his legal fees.

Butterfield, who resigned on June 12, wrote that he “decided not to arrest the young men because possession would be a felony and would have a serious impact on the rest of their lives,” and later added that he “disposed of the marijuana by throwing it in the VBPD dumpster” in an “attempt to show empathy.”

But to blame Butterfield’s plight on Police Chief Currey, Assistant District Attorney William Long or even District Judge Robert Meadows, who signed the arrest warrant, is ridiculous.

Nor should anyone place responsibility for this disturbing incident on Butterfield’s shift supervisor — a sergeant who, according to the arrest affidavit, was the first to notice the former officer was stopping vehicles and claimed to have issued written warnings but failed to file required reports.

It was the missing documents that prompted members of Currey’s team to review footage from Butterfield’s body camera taken during an early-morning traffic stop.

It was the results of that audit that convinced Currey to conduct an internal investigation that ultimately led to Butterfield’s arrest.

Had Butterfield made a report and turned in the seized marijuana as evidence — as he was required to do — he could have been subject to internal disciplinary action for failing to make an arrest for a crime during the stop.

However, he would not be charged with a crime and would likely still be a police officer.

Instead, Butterfield failed to file a report, provided no evidence, and after throwing away the marijuana and vaporizer, pretended the traffic stop never happened.

Currey testified that Butterfield, upon returning to the station at the end of his shift, made no attempt to discuss the events of the stop with his sergeant, nor did he initiate any such conversation when he reported to work the following two nights.

Why?

“He probably hoped no one would watch the video,” Currey said.

Butterfield certainly should have known — after two other officers joined him at the scene and learned he had uncovered evidence of two crimes — that someone would notice he had not filed an arrest report.

For those wondering, Currey said the department’s internal investigation also examined the conduct of other officers who witnessed Butterfield’s discretionary decision not to arrest suspects, which was a violation of the general order.

The internal investigation report, which Currey said would be released this week, should be revealing. But will it reveal the real reasons Butterfield did what he did?

Last week, Currey could only speculate, basing his comments on what he could gather from the fact that Butterfield often failed to file traffic stop reports.

“I think he liked being a cop, going out on the streets and stopping people,” the police chief said, “but he wanted to avoid the work of filing reports.”

Currey also believes Butterfield’s aversion to paperwork, rather than compassion, was a factor in the decision not to arrest the driver, who admitted the marijuana was his and that he used it regularly to treat behavioral problems.

Butterfield also allowed the minor passenger to leave the scene even though he was uncooperative during their conversation, which could have been grounds for a charge of resisting arrest.

At one point during the arrest, Currey said, an irate Butterfield could be heard on body camera footage saying he didn’t want to continue investigating at the scene and wanted to “go have some fun.”

Shortly thereafter, Butterfield put the evidence in the trunk of his patrol car and drove away, stopping just minutes later at a Dumpster on the police station grounds.

“The only person he was trying to help,” Currey said, “was himself.”

Butterfield’s decision not to arrest anyone and to quickly dispose of the marijuana seems to bolster the chief’s hypothesis. The former officer’s actions during the arrest should also raise questions about his true motives and his professionalism.

As Currey noted: Butterfield arrested, handcuffed, and released two suspects without ever reading them their Miranda rights.

“He did a lot of things he didn’t do right,” the police chief said of the traffic stop, adding that Butterfield could have done his job — make an arrest and enter the marijuana and vape into evidence — and still tried to help the driver.

Butterfield could have discussed the matter with his superiors and offered to speak to the prosecutor on the driver’s behalf.

“He had a choice,” Currey said.

Butterfield had multiple options — from the moment he decided to chase the driver’s car to the moment he disposed of the marijuana in a dumpster in an unsecured housing estate — and he chose the wrong option every time.

He asked for it himself.

Photos by Joshua Kodis