Key West Mayor Sam Kaufman took time out of his day to meet with Parks and Recreation Superintendent Ralph Major and offer his personal support to the popular city employee, president of the Key West Junior Football League and popular dog behaviorist.
Kaufman and Major met Friday morning to discuss the events that transpired over the weekend and resulted in what many believe was an erroneous arrest warrant and charge that landed Major in the Monroe County Detention Center.
“I appreciated sitting down with longtime City employee Ralph Major today,” Kaufman said in a social media post on his personal Facebook page. “Ralph has served our City and the community for many years, and I wanted him to know that his service is valued and that he has my support during a difficult time. I am glad that we had the opportunity to talk.”
Major was cleared by the city’s Human Resources Department earlier in the week and returned to work Thursday.
An arrest warrant filed by the Key West Police Department and approved by the State Attorney’s Office led to Major turning himself in to face charges stemming from attempting to counsel an employee for leaving his city-owned vehicle running with the keys in the ignition while unattended at Higgs Beach.
As a result, Major was charged with “Misusing 911” after taking control of the city vehicle that he oversaw on a daily basis. Assistant State Attorney Joe Mansfield signed off on the KWPD request for a warrant, and Judge Mark Wilson approved the capias and bond was set at $15,000.
Initially, KWPD had wanted to charge Major with Grand Theft Auto, a felony in addition to the misdemeanor charge.
BACKGROUND
BREAKING: Key West Parks Superintendent Accused of Misusing 911 After Taking City Truck
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.
Although Major has been cleared by the City of Key West, the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office had yet to drop the charge as of Friday afternoon.
State Attorney Dennis Ward told Above the Fold on Tuesday that his staff had to research the case a little more before making a final decision on whether to move forward with prosecution.
This is an evolving story. Watch this space.
