KEY WEST, Fla. — A longtime City of Key West parks superintendent is accused of misusing the 911 system after police say he took a city work vehicle assigned to one of his departments employees while off duty “to prove a point,” prompting the employee to report the vehicle stolen and triggering a police search.
Ralph Major turned himself in Monday evening at the Monroe County Detention Center after learning an arrest warrant had been issued. He was released several hours later on $15,000 bond. Major has since retained criminal defense attorney and former Monroe County prosecutor David Alvarez and is said to be actively seeking counsel regarding potential civil liability in the case.
The charge, a first-degree misdemeanor, is punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
A probable-cause affidavit was signed by Key West Police Sgt. Mark Siracuse and sworn Sept. 14. State Attorney Dennis Ward declined to comment on whether his office would pursue the charges.
The charge is unusual because Major never called 911 and, according to the police affidavit, never contacted the Key West Police Department to report false information.
Instead, investigators allege that by taking the truck without telling the employee assigned to it, Major caused that employee to call 911 and report what he reasonably believed was a stolen vehicle.
It is important to note, however, that the employee in question, Alonzo Williams, did not follow the chain of command according to workers inside the department. Instead of calling his supervisor to report the vehicle as stolen, he notified police directly.
Several City Hall insiders who spoke to Above the Fold on condition of anonymity sharply questioned the decision to arrest Major, describing the charge as disproportionate and expressing concern that the case could discourage supervisors from disciplining employees or enforcing workplace rules.
Asked by Above the Fold during his Tuesday press conference about Major’s arrest, Mayor Sam Kaufman reserved comment, saying he was waiting for city staff to brief him on the pertinent facts surrounding the incident. Kaufman took office as mayor Aug. 24.
The city’s current directory lists Major as Superintendent of Parks and Recreation in Community Services. Major has worked for the city for more than 18 years and is president of the Key West Junior Football League. He is also the cousin of Aaron Castillo, who represents District VI and Bahama Village on the City Commission.
Truck Taken at Higgs Beach
The incident began Saturday, Sept. 12, at the city’s newly acquired Higgs Beach property — which appears to already be providing headaches for city management.
According to a sworn affidavit filed by Siracuse, Williams was cleaning bathrooms when his assigned city-owned truck disappeared.
Williams had left the keys in the unattended vehicle.
Sources within Parks and Recreation told Above the Fold that Major had repeatedly verbally counseled Williams and other employees about leaving city vehicles unattended with keys inside or engines running, practices employees said Major considered both a security issue and a waste of taxpayer resources.
Police were initially attempting to locate what they believed was a stolen city vehicle when Officer Scott Standerwick contacted Major to determine whether the truck could be tracked by GPS.
Major told Standerwick that he had the vehicle.
According to the affidavit, Major later told Officer Bradley Fox that he took the truck “to prove a point.”
Once police learned Major had the vehicle, the search was canceled.
Several insiders at 1300 White St. said the kerfuffle should have ended then and there.
But the investigation continued.
KWPD dispatch soon reported a verbal altercation at the Higgs Beach bathrooms. Officers arriving there found Major and Williams in a heated discussion.
Williams told police Major was off duty that day and was not his direct supervisor, despite overseeing operations for Parks and Recreation.
The affidavit says Major apparently arrived at the property in an unmarked white minivan before taking Williams’ truck.
City employees familiar with the department said Williams had not first contacted Major or another supervisor in his chain of command before reporting the vehicle stolen to authorities, ostensibly violating city policy.
Police Warned of Potential Felony Stop
According to Siracuse’s affidavit, Fox told Major the situation could have become considerably more dangerous.
Because officers believed they were searching for a stolen vehicle, Fox told Major that an officer who spotted the truck could have conducted a high-risk felony traffic stop, potentially involving drawn firearms.
There is no allegation that Major was armed.
The affidavit says Major laughed off the warning, continued arguing with Williams and eventually left in the minivan. It also noted that Fox is relatively new to the force and did not recognize Major as a senior manager.
Police canceled a BOLO — a be-on-the-lookout alert — that had been sent to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and made notifications through the department’s chain of command.
Siracuse subsequently confirmed through the Key West Police Communications Center that Williams had called 911 to report the truck stolen and that the call was recorded.
Vehicle Theft Charge Rejected
The affidavit makes an important distinction between Major’s conduct and the charge ultimately pursued.
Siracuse wrote that Major knowingly and temporarily deprived Williams of the use of his assigned work vehicle.
But after consultation with the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office — reportedly Assistant State Attorney Joseph Mansfield — investigators determined that Major’s supervisory authority over city vehicles did not support pursuing a grand theft charge involving the truck.
That left police focused on the 911 call generated by its disappearance.
The following day, Fox contacted Williams, who told police he had personal belongings inside the truck when Major took it but did not want to pursue theft charges involving those items. City employees generally are not allowed to maintain personal property in work vehicles.
Police Say Major Caused 911 Call
The charge against Major rests on a shaky provision of Florida law that applies not only to someone who personally calls 911, but also to someone who “causes another party” to access 911 for a false alarm, complaint or report that could generate an emergency response.
Florida Statute 365.172 states that a person commits a first-degree misdemeanor if the person “accesses or causes another party to access” 911 for the purpose of making a false alarm or complaint or reporting false information that could result in an emergency response from a public safety agency.
According to the affidavit, Williams did not know Major had taken the truck and believed the information he gave dispatch was true.
Police nevertheless allege Major knew or should have known that removing the vehicle without telling Williams would cause it to be reported stolen and could trigger an emergency law-enforcement response.
Attorneys and many in the law enforcement community consider the charge to be an “add-on,” basically one more offense that can be piled on to cause defendents to cut deals.
That distinction is central to the case: Police are not accusing Williams of knowingly making a false report, and Major is not accused of personally placing the 911 call.
This is a developing story. Watch Above the Fold for updates.
