https://www.wesh.com/article/winter-springs-tesla-video-acquittal-police-resignation/74208262WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. —A Seminole County man says a judge found him not guilty at trial after video recorded by a camera on his Tesla was shown in court.More than two years later, the arresting officer no longer works for the Winter Springs Police Department.AdvertisementKevin Finley feels vindicated now that the officer, who falsely accused him of fleeing and then detained him at gunpoint outside his garage in 2024, has left the force."I feel it's the first step, yeah, there's some accountability, finally,” Finley told WESH 2. “It's a little bit of relief. I feel like the community is a lot safer now."Officer Erik Schwartz is heard on his body-camera video telling Finley to “turn around, get on your knees,” before he placed him in handcuffs for 33 minutes."I was very scared,” Finley said. “I had no clue what was going on."Finley was driving home after dropping his children off at daycare.He said he wasn’t trying to flee because he didn’t see the lights or hear the sirens when Officer Schwartz initiated a traffic stop near his house for driving through an intersection at a high rate of speed.Finley was never charged with felony fleeing and eluding."So, here's the deal: you're not going to jail today,” Schwartz told Finley in the body-camera video. “You are going to be issued multiple citations for your driving. You're also receiving a criminal citation for the reckless driving."The next day Finley said he went to the Winter Springs Police Department and “explained to them like, 'Hey, I have video, like, we can clear this right up?' And they just didn't care."When Finley’s case went to trial in July, he proved he never saw the officer coming after him with video recorded by the camera on the back of his Tesla.
"Ah, it made me feel great,” Finley said. “Like, I love the car even more now, you know? It saved me from jail time, which was amazing."Right before jury deliberations, the judge acquitted Finley of his charges.While Officer Schwartz wrote in the police report that Finley “lost traction and fish-tailed,” his Tesla video showed that wasn’t the case.There’s only a brief moment in the Tesla video when the unmarked patrol car’s lights were visible."There's no way I could have seen him,” Finley said. “He was going the opposite direction. He had to do a three-point turn, and then you know, like I'm looking forward, like as a driver is supposed to do."On Tuesday, Winter Springs Police Chief Matthew Tracht announced Officer Schwartz is no longer employed by the City of Winter Springs.He quit amid an ongoing internal investigation after Finley filed a complaint at the conclusion of his criminal case.Chief Tracht declined an on-camera interview request from WESH 2 on Wednesday."Based on the circumstances surrounding this matter, the conduct did not meet the standards and expectations I have for the officers who serve this department and our community,” Chief Tracht wrote in a Facebook post. "There is no doubt the situation could have been handled differently, and there are lessons to be learned from how it was addressed."This content is imported from facebook. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Finley said he was surprised when the chief called to apologize and to tell him the officer resigned."I don't think it was a sincere apology,” Finley said. “It was two years too late. The apology should have come the same day that this happened, and these charges should have never been filed."Finley said he intends to file a civil lawsuit against Winter Springs police.
