A Jacksonville woman spoke about how she was treated by JSO officers the night she was involved in a crash on Dec. 3, 2023.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville faith leaders and community advocates stood on the steps in front of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Friday morning for a press conference on JSO conduct and Sheriff T.K. Waters’ response – or lack of.
The press conference was led by Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Reginald Gundy, a longtime pastor and community advocate in Jacksonville. He spoke about his concerns with how JSO officers have acted recently. He also said he would like to have more direct conversations with Sheriff T.K. Waters about these issues.
Pastor Gundy encouraged 30-year-old Emogene King to speak about her experience with JSO. King was involved in a crash on Dec. 3, 2023. She told reporters she was driving along I-10 between Cassat Ave. and McDuff Ave. sometime after midnight when another car swerved into her lane. To avoid being hit by the other car, King said she tried to swerve out of the way and ended up crashing into the median.
King remembers her leg was badly hurt and she was bleeding heavily. She said the EMTs on the scene were afraid she was going to bleed out. Instead of allowing EMTs to take her to the hospital, King said JSO officers accused her of drinking and doing drugs. King told reporters she does not drink and offered to take the breathalyzer test.
“I was like, why do I have to take a breathalyzer test? I didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t drink. So we did the breathalyzer test on me, and it came back negative, I wasn’t drinking. And then he accused me of being on drugs,” a tearful King explained.
King was eventually taken to the hospital and underwent surgery. King said the officers came back to the hospital to administer another breathalyzer test and another round of questioning while she was recovering. She does not remember their visit because of the surgery and medicine she was given.
“I don’t really like to talk about it right now. But I just feel like I was a victim and not a criminal in that situation, and I should have been treated better. I don’t have a record, I’ve never done anything,” King said through tears.
King, a mother of four, is still healing from her injuries. She said she could not be around people who are yelling because she is reminded of how she was treated by officers that night.
JSO told First Coast News that King’s wreck was handled by FHP and “Our agency has become aware of this incident and it is being administratively reviewed; therefore, we are unable to comment on the incident while that review is ongoing,” JSO’s statement said.
FHP tells First Coast News: “No suspicion into DUI was involved that night.”
